star sail

Having read this thread I am now convinced that football fans will never be happy with the amount of loyalty a manager shows a club. Wee Craig would have to tattoo himself Claret and Amber and run round the Fir Park pitch naked screaming 'I love you Motherwell' before being given any credit for showing loyalty. What amazes me is that we all sit judging managers decisions to move when we have no idea of the offer that is being made. I would think that 99% of the people on this board would move jobs for a hike in their salary of £20-30k. and yet blind to terms and conditions offered Craig Brown is already being slated for daring to listen to offers. Craig Brown has shown as much loyalty as can possibly be expected of a football man and his reason for staying (i.e the commitment of the players) is about as pure a reason as you are ever going to see. He may still go but if he does you would have to imagine that Milne's offer is pretty seductive. I know what is going to happen anyway. Craig Brown will go and a year to the day after being sacked from Well Jim Gannon will come rolling into town wearing a pair of Hugh Dallas skinned shoes, Mark McGhee carrying his bags, and will go on to take Motherwell to Champions League glory.

The potential comes from the fan base. Motherwell's biggest problem is that even when going well, like just now 5000-6000 a game is all that can be hoped for. Aberdeen can generate 15000+ a week when things are going well. This must be an attraction for any ambitious manager.

I don't think that we can now ignore this story. Bookmakers know what they are talking about, it is their business too and the odds at the moment are strongly in favour of Brown. Reading the Evening Times article as well Brown by no means rules himself out as he has done so emphatically with previous links to jobs. As Well fans we have to accept that Aberdeen are a bigger club who can command crowds in excess of 15000+ when thinks are going well. I was very lukewarm about Brown arriving with us but he has had a fantastic year and I would be sad to see him go. On the positive side Boyle has been shrewd when appointing managers so I am sure he could unearth another gem for us again. A big IF right enough and I really hope it does not happen.

Agree 100%. The Aberdeen game you speak about was one of my all time favourite Motherwell games. Could not believe I was watching Motherwell or any SPL side for that matter (Was it not 3-0 after about 20 mins?). I had a Celtic fan sitting beside me that day who said that he had not seen Celtic play like that never mind Motherwell. I think that the really good football that season had a lot to do with the influence of Stephen Hughes. I seem to remember however that sandwiched somewhere between the Aberdeen game and the fateful Dundee Utd game was a howler of a game against Falkirk when we lost 2-0 at home. I had a friend over from America that day and had been raving about how good we were and as happens when you say that we were rotten. Phil O Donnell also had a poor game that day having had an excellent season. Sadly it was the last time I saw him play. It is the fact that Mark McGhee shared with the Well fans such a traumatic experience as Phil's death that will never allow me to wish ill upon him or gloat at his bad experience with Aberdeen. I would not have McGhee back simply because I don't think that he could have the same impact again, but I am thankful for the time he spent at the club.

Aye. The boots need a right rubbin in this weather.

That is ok for the fans who have the freedom to make their own decisions. The players don't however and for the Hearts players travelling aong the M8 this is the right decision. Safety first. Has to be.

Levein was right to loose the rag on that occasion. In that Ibrox game there was two or three decisions all going against Utd (and for Rangers) that were at best sheer incompetence from the referee and there was a case that day to suggest that it was possibly more sinister than that. Forbes disallowed goal at FP was another example of a decision that reeked of something more than mere incompetance. What we are dealing with in Lennon's case is controversy over a decision that the ref called correctly. Even the Broadfoot incident, for all clear on replays was not as clear cut as the media made it out to be at the time. Collum was fooled by a player who was cheating. Happens every day in the game. The Walter Smith situation astounds me. He has, for whatever reason, got the Press by the short and curlys. He can moan, cry foul, be aggressive and offhand and is still reported as being a gentleman and ambassador for the game (remember Boyds goal that never was at FP). To this extent I can understand Celtics complaint. I think that over the years Rangers have had more than their fare share of decisions go their way backed by a Scottish press that is like a lapdog to the Ibrox club. Having said that Celtic come 2nd in the league table for decisions going their way which is why it is so laughable that they are the one's to throw the dummy out the pram.

I think that Browns approach is the right one. There were two big decisions in the game, one went for us, one against. The offside decision was tight and for all it is clear to see on a freeze frame at full pace it is possible to see how the linesman could get it wrong. The one time that I feel Brown should have gone to town was on the Forbes goal against Rangers last season. That was an inexplicable decision and a case for crying foul. Ultimately it cost us 4th place in the league. On the point of booking both players at flashpoints I think that is a SFA directive that gets the ref's off the hook. If in any doubt book them both. We see it time and time again. Just to keep our perspective balanced however we have benifited from these offside decisions in the past. Was it last season at FP when Accies had a good move down the left called offside when it was a mile on? For me the big test in terms of decisions is would you have got that at Ibrox or Parkhead? For me the penalty for all it was definetly a penalty was soft because Murphy would not have got it at Ibrox or Parkhead. We just have to be grateful when we get them and take the good with the bad.

The Motherwell Stewards would have a nervous breakdown if this kind of evil uprising was to start. Standing up, singing, the flying of flags. A health and safety nightmare and it may even offend Old Firm fans that travel a long way to graciously come and visit us. This is a non starter in my eyes. Shame on you Happyslappy for even suggesting such a thing. The image of Che Guvara alone could offend our sterile wee environment.It is fans like you that do the game no good whatsoever and would bring DISGRACE upon our club.

Find this very difficult to make a decision about. Hibs were heading nowhere fast untill midweek and suddenly showed us what they are capable of. That shows for me that there is an attitude problem at Hibs. Good players that just don't want to play for the jersey. The question is has the mid week game resolved the attitude problems or will Hibs sink back into their old ways. Well on the other hand have been relatively consistent and doing well on their travels. Wednesday night was a bit of a freak score as Motherwell did not play as well as the scoreline suggests but to score 4 when not flying in top gear is fairly impressive. Humphrey and Blackman to make the difference in a very tight game. 1-2 for the Well!!

I hate you for this.

That's not going to happen any time soon I'm afraid. Brown seems to be a big fan of our club captain and there are people on here who are personally offended if you criticise the big guy. It is going to be Craigan + 1 for a long time to come. Reynolds will maybe get a move in January and it is the best thing for him. I have accepted that I am out of touch with what makes a good defender and have to trust the better judgement of Brown and Knox who are seeing the players in training and are the profesionals but I prefered Gannon's idea of a good defender to Brown's.

...and when the changes did come they were the wrong ones. Going to put this one down to a bad day at the office but I think we are flattering to deceive at the moment and our 3rd place is thanks to the others tripping over themselves. The good and the bad as I see it are: Good - The 4 forward thinking players have really impressed (Humphrey, Blackman, Gow, Murphy) and flat out will cause teams real problems this year - Lasley and Jennings in midfield, strong as any in the SPL. Bad (or at least not so good) - Hately as a midfield player (as others have mentioned) - the distribution from the back. This has been a long standing problem that Gannon tried to fix and it contributed to him losing his job. - the lack of depth in the squad (don't blame anyone for this as it is purely financial) - the inconsistency of performance during a 90 mins. i.e great starts that fade away. One last thing, surely Motherwell must be the worst team in the SPL for giving struggling teams a life line. How many times have we seen teams on really poor runs come to Fir Park and end their drought. This season alone Hibs and Hamilton have got victories at Fir Park, two teams that can't buy a victory. Another example would be gifting Josh Thompson 2 goals at Parkhead last season when Celtic were having one of the worst runs in their history and this boy was having a personal nightmare. Over the years the list is endless of similar stories. Maybe othe r clubs could tell of similar woes but the Well seem to be expert at it.

Kenny Clark has suddenly becoming the great judge of all he surveys. Would not be surprised to see him pull up a chair alongside Simon Cowell in the X Factor tonight in between his analysis of the paddy-bas on Strictly.

Six weeks is actually not a long time in tems of improving fitness. It can be a slow process. A bit of patience yet and we might find we have a real player on our hands. I like Sutton but think that potentially Gow could be on a different level. Did he get a hard time as someone suggested above? Round about me it was all positive.

Agree with all of this. I'm a bit concerned that Hateley is not going to cut it as a midfield player and the difference in the way we played when Lasley went of was staggering.

If you could give it to a player for 30 mins on the park then would have been Lasley. He was running the show and the game changed when he went off, however went for Gow as for me he made the difference 2nd half and his ability to find pockets of space was impressive. Humphrey was again impressive but I would like to see him having a shot when he gets to the corner of the 18 yard box. Works for Gareth Bale so why not. His energy and enthusiasm is a joy to watch and every left back in the country is going to have a hard time this season if he continues with this form.

This may be a daft question and may have been covered before but what is stopping the building of a new ground on the current site? Ground sharing with Accies or Airdrie for a season would not been the end of the world and it would keep The Well in its spiritual home. I think that Fir Park Street is about as cool as as a venue gets for a football ground because of firstly the name and secondly the nostalgic throw back to British Football grounds of old that are slowly disappearing. Something that architecturally blended old with new and allowed us to stay where we are would be perfect would it not?

That is great news. To be Champions in any country is a fantastic achievement and it puts Motherwell's result against them in a very positive light. Champions league qualification for them next season. Superb

This is why we dream. I agree with you and particularly after the Nancy game, I was really rejected about how far off the pace we were, however the last Euro adventure gave me hope. I think we were only one or maybe two quality players away from a victory against the Danes. Where these players come from I don't know but give me those games any day over an Old Firm visit. I honestly don't think they bring anything positive when they come to town. They don't even bring good football.

That is my point, qualify for the Europa league and you need a 10,000 + stadium. That my friend is the bigger and better dream. Was Nancy not 11,000. In actual fact the Old firm don't even bring enough for 10,000 anymore. As a Well fan I would want a 10,000 seater stadium so that we could have the potential of holding big Euro nights in the future. Having 10,000 Old Firm fans in your ground is more of a nightmare than a dream.

Love it how these Old Firm punters think it's all about them all of the time. Odense was close on 10,000 and had we reached the group stages 10,000+ would have been pretty much assured. Much as it will be a shock to you, Motherwell do not simply exist to host the Old Firm four times a season, we have bigger and better dreams.

My biggest concern is that the performances are far from inspiring at the moment and I would argue that we have not seen a commanding 45 mins from Well yet this season (possibly Hibs 1st half apart but then 1-1 at Half time is not commanding). Comes down to the old debate about results against performance but personally my interest levels have increased in recent years when under McGhee and for a time Gannon we were making the effort to play the game on the deck. Not throwing in the towel just yet but if this is the level of entertainment for the rest of the season my attendance ratio for the season will drop dramatically. Yes I know that makes me a bad fan and all that horseshit but for me the game is about entertainment as much as it is about loyalty and so far this season the entertainment and spark has been lacking.

Wonder if this means we will see him get a game against the Jambo's at the weekend.

No mention of Fitzy. Time must be running out for him now given that he has till Christmas to prove himself. Would be a real shame if we do not seem him in a Well first team again before then. Somebody mentioned playing players out of position to avoid playing fringe players, was it not Brown who having lost a couple of defenders played a midfield player in defence and left Brian Martin on the bench, a player who was well overdue a Scotland call up and was playing out of his skin at the time. May have been Roxburgh at that time. My memory is sketchy.