Kmcalpin

Whatever our line up, the central midfield looks very weak. Thats the crux of our problems this season.

Agreed. I think the slope is of the order of 4/5 feet. In terms of the pitch alone it would mean removing or building up thousands of tons of soil not to mention possibly having to drill/blast underlying rock depending on the geology. Its simply not an option and could cost millions taking into account associated works to stands etc.

Not so. This season, Derek McInnes and Tom Wright have expressed concern about playing on artificial pitches. They said the surfaces would influence their team selection. Thats quite consistent with your statement above. However, both Alan Johnston at Kilmarnock and Alex Neil at Hamilton have also expressed identical comments. Johnston said recently on BBC Radio that he had not been able to pick Eremenko as often as he'd like due the surface at Rugby Park. Across the Clyde, at the time of our League Cup tie, Neil said that the surface there had exacerbated the injuries of a couple of players (Antoine-Curier being one?) Football clubs' attitude to artifcial pitches has not changed over the years. Directors love them for economic reasons but managers and players hate them.

Thats correct although its a best case scenario. During his temporary spell in charge and in the first week or two of Ian Baraclough's reign, Kenny Black had the opportunity to try out one or two different things selection and tactics wise and did not take that opportunity. If something fails why continue ad infinitum with it? You might have thought that he felt he had scope to do his own thing up to a point. Ian Baraclough will now have overall control of team matters. Kenny Black's role, as far as we know, is to advise him, but not follow his instructions blindly without question. Is he giving the boss the correct advice? Based on what he did during his spell in charge I question whether he is providing the right advice. Quite apart from that would you want to retain the services of a disillusioned employee who cast doubt on his employers' actions in public?

What do I base my opinion of Kenny Black on? Well I've heard from various sources that he was been in charge of training under Stuart McCall and we have concerns about fitness and preparation for this season etc. However I disregard that as I don't know that for certain. What I have based my view on was in his temporary period in charge. With the exception of one single game in which we beat Dundee United he didn't manage to improve results. I don't hold him responsible for that. During his temporary spell in charge I specifically looked at games to see if there was any discernible change in team selection or tactics ie were these purely down to Stuart McCall previously and did KB have his own ideas? Perhaps KB had a huge input beforehand? Now I didn't notice any change in team selections, tactics or fitness during his temporary spell in charge. In short he persisted with decisions which had failed us all season. More of the same in other words. I therefore concluded that we needed fresh ideas and a new broom. To be fair to KB he didn't have a completely free hand due to our injury list. Still there were other options which he didn't pursue, one being limited introduction of youth. Thats what I based my view on. I'm sure that Kenny Black is a decent guy who knows football inside out but he's maybe not the right man to continue as No 2. At the time of Ian Baraclough's appointment he was clearly disillusioned as was clear in his radio interview. Ian Baraclough may want to bring in his own man when the opportunity presents itself. Time will tell, as KB's contract is up in the summer.

Its more than likely that we'll play a counterattacking game either willingly or not. Given that, we need pace and striker(s) that are mobile and some creativity. For this reason I'd play Ainsworth, Ojamaa, Thomas and Erwin. If however, at some point, we're pinning Dundee back in their box or they are sitting deep then Suttons your man. Sutton is very much a penalty box player.

Of course not but he's bound to have had a significant say in selecting him in a position to which he has proved unsuited in the past.

Good post Andy and I think that sums things up well. We do know that the club is trying to extend the deals for Ojamaa and O'Brien. Apart from that Ian Baraclough did suggest in a recent interview that there was some scope to make one or two personnel changes albeit through wheeling and dealing. One or two fringe players going out on loan or a loan player or two coming in.

Ordinarily yes, but not in this case I would suggest. I don't know how much Ian Baraclough knew about the squad before he signed on the dotted line but I would guess not that much. On starting he may have gleaned information directly from the players themselves and perhaps the physio he may have had access to Stuart McCall's files. I don't know. However, its almost certain that he would have relied very heavily on Kenny Black's advice. How much would he know about Luke Watt or David Ferguson for example? Now the team doesn't seem to be playing much differently from when SM was in charge. Unless the players themselves have heavily influenced tactics and team line ups by their comments then I would suggest KB was the source of much of this information and advice. IB has only had a few games in charge but by now he's bound to be forming his own opinions surely. I would doubt very much if his own thinking is identical to Kenny Black's given their different backgrounds etc. So up until now I would expect Kenny Black to have had a much more comprehensive input into team selection and tactics than he would normally do as a No 2. That will change. Its very possible that IB will conclude that more or less sticking to the normal "Fir Park" way of doing things hasn't worked this season and its time to change things a bit.

Yes our injury list is horrendous and options limited. There were still various options and changes that could have been made after New Douglas Park? Dom Thomas to start? Josh Law to right back? Lee Erwin to start in place of Sutton if we insist on playing one man up front? Ojamaa and Ainsworth up front and play the classic Hearts game? Still I'm pleased that we now seem to blooding more youth and that is a positive sign.

Good points Alan. I was more than a bit surprised that we made so few changes in the aftermath of the New Years Day game. After watching us for say 3/4/5 games its now time for him to be own man and take his own decisions. I agree that he has been left with a poor and very unbalanced squad and we need to bite, kick, scratch and claw our way to safety - any way we can. Teams like Aberdeen and St Johnstone may not be the best to watch but they are big, fit, well organised and streetwise and for the most part dependable. If we can secure 10th position in May I'll be relieved and Ian Baraclogh can have a clear out and start rebuilding.

I'm curious about comments that we should drop Stephen McManus. Now I'll agree readily that he's not playing well. No argument there. However who would we replace him with? There are some who don't like O'Brien, and many who don't like Kerr (personally I think his time is up after one mistake too many). Who does that leave? What about Adam Cummins? Maybe Craig Reid? Simon Ramsden, when fit? John Sutton perhaps? The untried Morgyn Neill? Any views?

We were in the Main Stand and heard nothing whatsoever untoward. There was some jeering of Willie Collum for the penalty decision, and David Goodwillie, for his dive, but neither was abusive or undeserved.

Is that surprising? That will not change much until Kenny Black's influence is diminished.

Scottish football is simply reflecting Scottish culture. Change that and the footballing culture will change too.

I made my mind up last weekend...I'm going. Team line up will have no bearing whatsoever on whether I go or not.

I'll respect confidences. I simply posted that to completely refute the comment that "Do you seriously think any motherwell player would be out "partying" the night before a game???.....seriously??? Christ on a bike....get a grip."

I have no idea whatsoever about the current squad but it has happened on at least one occasion in the past decade we'll say (the player and his manager are no longer at the club). Officially the player in question picked up a "late injury". The term "Injury" can euphemistically cover a whole host of situations.

Ian Baraclough is in a tricky position here. He is more capable than you or I of assessing his squad and will know full well players' shortcomings. I don't doubt they will have been told behind closed doors in a manner which will be appropriate to each one. He will also know about any underlying factors about which we know nothing, except unsubstantiated rumours. He has to get the very best out of the squad he has at his disposal between now and May. I for one was impressed with Chris Cadden and certainly Dom Thomas to such an extent I feared the latter would end with a broken leg if he continued to play as he did. So yes there were positives, although not many. The squad is very short on confidence and if the Boss goes public to slag them off then they simply will not recover. He has to be a good man manager.

Pretty much agree. I think he'll need about 21/2 - 3 years though. In 18 months time he'll probably have "his" team pretty much in place but they may need time to gel. In the meantime he'll have to use players he would not have signed himself. As far as young players are concerned, he'll have to bring on players other managers brought in, but our record for those signed in the past decade is not great. With one possible exception those breaking into the first team just now don't seem to be anything special although it can be hard to tell at that stage.

We've had no left side cover for weeks now. Even Stevie Hammell plays well inside. Opponents frequently have the freedom of our left flank. In effect Ojamaa's being asked to do the work of 3 players.

Ticket update from the Official Site: Motherwell fans should note the following ticket information ahead of Thursday’s Lanarkshire Derby with Hamilton at New Douglas Park. As of close of business on Tuesday, Motherwell have sold approximately 1,100 tickets from a 2,200 allocation in the Spice of Life North Stand, behind the goal. Tickets are on sale (prices listed below) up until 1pm on Wednesday 31st December 2014. What is left, if any, will be returned to New Douglas Park and sold on the day of the match at the turnstiles. Visiting supporters who buy on the day, and tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis, should enter via Turnstiles 7, 8 or 9 at the North Stand. ‘Well fans who have already pre-purchased tickets (or do so before 1pm on Wednesday) should enter via turnstiles 10, 11 or 12 at the North Stand. There will be no overspill facility in the temporary stand, as was the case in the League Cup match back in September, as Accies are utilising this area for community ticketing initiatives.

We might have limited scope for manoevre, as Ian Baraclough hinted. Hopefully Ojamaa will extend his stay. Our priority must be central midfield where the root cause of problems have lain this year. We badly need a mobile defensive player and someone creative with pace. However a small budget will dictate if we can achieve this or not. No doubt there's the possibility of moving a player or two out on loan to supplement the war chest if only modestly.

Car sharing?

Any unsold tickets for the end stand will be available on the day at NDP. Many folk will simply turn up at 3.00 pm.