ONeils40yarder

Fucking hell

I offered a lad on Faceboook, who has been gibbering on about organising protests and the like against McGhee, a £50 charity bet yesterday that we wouldnt be relegated. I'm still waiting on the response. Social media is a great thing, but by fuck it allows some absolute numbskulls the ability to vent their spleen all too readily...'if we get relegated, thats the end of MFC as we know it' according to some

I was speaking to one of McGhees fellow Premier League managers yesterday, who after having a wee chuckle at the video of McGhee 'losing the plot', went on to slate the 4th officials...in the way that they speak to management and Club staff, getting involved in stuff thats really not necessary, usually not understanding the situations that arise around the technical area and pretty much being paid highly for doing next to fuck all of any importance. He also went on to say (and I hope he wasn't just trying to make me feel better), that in his belief that Motherwell are in a relatively strong position in the league in terms of avoiding relegation...three of his quotes were, 'look at the run of games he's come through recently, they're all out the road now' (obviously after the Celtic game), 'they generally get good results against the teams around them, which is what matters' and 'when they get their full team on the pitch, they are much stronger than the likes of Accies and Inverness'. Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion, just as much as this guy, but for me it all rings true...I have virtually no doubt that we'll be competing in the Premier League next year. Whether thats enough to quell the baying mob I highly doubt, but it does for me this season.

Apart from the ones chucking it 'til that prick/wank/cunt has gone'? Aye, nothing I suppose I'd also suggest that its no surprise that our home form is poorer than our away form, given the whole atmosphere generated at Fir Park these days

Completely agree with this almost to the word... McGhee has been on an absolute hiding to nothing since he took over, far too many people within our support don't have it in them to accept him back after what went on in the final months of his last tenure. That said, complete capitulations against a half-decent Aberdeen side can't really be defended... We miss McDonald in such a huge way, that it really worries me for next season, he's easily our most important player...when he isn't playing we completely change our formation and our desire to attack, we generally sit back, and invite pressure onto a creaky defence, with a midfield that has been powderpuff since Steve Jennings played for us, and a goalkeeper who just won't command his box. From that respect, i just don't get McGhees tactics when McDonald isn't available. What I will say is that, it is public knowledge that we budget for 10th position in the league, which is completely responsible from a financial respect...but as such, surely McGhees remit then is simply to keep us above that drop zone? I don't think there is any prospect of us being relegated, maybe I'm being overly optimistic but I honestly think we have been hindered this season, with injuries, the amount of new players being brought in taking time to adjust (or not), the suspensions we've had recently, the stop/start nature of the campaign and I firmly believe that once we get our strongest team (McHugh will make a big difference along with McDonald) on the park we'll go on a semi-decent run over the next few weeks...the Tim game apart I'd imagine. Added to his remit, seems to be the 'bringing in players for fuck all and punting them for £2,000,000' aspect which so far he seems to be achieving. All of this amid a back drop of the uncertainty over Hutchison and the Well Society...I honestly think he has had one cunt of a job to deal with this year...and yet before last night, we were 1 point away from being top6. Again, another negative point is the Dads Army we seem to have managed to collect ourselves, and while I agree with the thought that these boys are over the hill, Lasley and Hammell in particular, I can sort of see why he kept them on...it goes back to that massive turnover of player we seem to see every season and maybe he was looking to try and integrate new (and our own younger) players this season and next whilst phasing these guys out, as per his remit. McManus, for all his faults has been pretty consistent this season and while I'm not sure there was any point giving Faddy a players contract, I highly doubt that it would have had any effect on how much we paid him as Assistant Manager...so fail to see the Taxi Drivers point here. I fully agree with Desp, the rot that set in upon his appointment will never go away, no matter what he does between now and the time he leaves us...people are far too entrenched in the view that 'hes an absolute prick/wank/tosser/etc' and have been since day one, some even seem to be taking great delight in his/our misery, which I find strange and rather sad. At the end of the season, I think it would be in everybodys best interests to go our separate ways, thank him for keeping us up and await the next guy who will no doubt have us scrambling about in a similar position next season. One thing, I can't fully understand is the man-love and clamour for Stephen Craigan to be our manager, yes, he's done a really good job with the youths, but thats a pressure free role, where he pretty much gets handed a squad that he then coaches and gets the best out of them that he can. Hes never managed at any other level and I just get the feeling that people want him in because he is supposedly a Motherwell guy. One final point, and its pretty hypothetical but pretty valid in my opinion...if Craigan for example had been presiding over the current season, with a similar projected outcome (ie finishing somewhere between 10th and 7th), would he be under the same amount of pressure and getting the same amount of vitriol chucked in his direction? A rhetorical question no doubt, but I think we all no the answer and the reason for that...

Undoubtedly time to let him go, he's been around the periphery of the 1st team for about 3 years now and it looks like he'll just not have enough to make it into a regular first team player

I'm not a fan of Keith Lasley, never have been, I like my midfielders to be able to create, have an eye for a pass, tackle, contribute some goals (all of those ideally)...for me Lasley, has never been able to do any of them and now that his legs are gone (they've been gone for at least 2 seasons in my opinion) its become very apparent that he needs replaced BUT I can concede that he puts 100% effort into every game he has ever played for Motherwell, and I'd take him in my team over Ian Vigurs every day of the week

Vigurs was a total and utter imposter and a liability in my opinion. I've heard people defend him as he was a player with great ability, but those around him weren't on his wavelength...for me, he was a lazy cunt that thought he was better than he was, and can't remember much about his time with us that suggested he was hiding some supreme talent somewhere. The boy Gow was another one, a lazy shitebag, that some within our support reckoned we should have built our team around

I never voted at all, but I believe all Clubs should be treated equally regardless of stature

I've watched the McHugh and McDonald tackles over and over again, and can't for the life of me see a red card in either of them. I've not seen the Kiernan one played back, so won't offer up an opinion on that other than to say that at the game, at full speed, it looked like a certain red to me...would he have been red carded if O'Halloran hadn't assaulted McHugh a few minutes before? Without sounding paranoid, but would McDonald have been ordered off had O'Halloran still been on the park? I honestly doubt it...how much influence did the Rangers bench have on proceedings? The way they reacted to the McDonald tackle and Millers howls of agony (before coming back on to play a full and active part in the match) would certainly have helped the referee make his judgement call. Both our players won the ball clearly before then making impact with opposition player...and to be honest, I'm completely with the Club on this one, what were they mean to do? Allow the opposition player to collect the ball unhindered, or defy the laws of gravity and momentum by avoiding the collision after clearly winning the ball in both cases. For me, and I've heard this said quite a bit, football is fast becoming a non-contact sport, but as a fan is there anything better, a goal apart, than seeing two guys going into a tackle hard but fair, determined to keep possession or win possession for their team? In my opinion, the standard of refereeing in this country is shite from the top to the bottom...there is very little consistency, they are very easily influenced by external factors and they have next to no levels of accountability, all the while making a very reasonable living from the game, where even at the lowest scale (ie boys club fitba') they can be earning a couple of hundred pounds per week depending on how many matches they officiate.

Agree with this broadly mate...other than the Craigan patter, for some reason I don't think thats a road I want to see us go down As for the general gist, of McGhee staying, I'm quite comfortable with him being our Manager. I didn't want him back originally because of how he left us (and actively courted moves) previously, but quickly got over that because I support the Club, and wouldn't allow something as petty as who our manager is get in that way of that....fuck, I even managed to watch a full season with Mo Malpish in charge. Anyway, for me, as BB has said, its easy to see that he's got a lot wrong over the past couple of seasons, but he's also managed to get a lot right at a time of real upheaval for the Club. His remit is clearly to keep the team in the top division by hook or by crook, while developing players brought in for peanuts to be sold on for a profit, to allow us to facilitate our debt. I've said it before (and got shot down), but I'd happily continue to sell our players for even a modest fee, if it allows us to clear our debt to Boyle and Hutchinson quicker than we have agreed to...the sooner we do, the sooner we can work on an even keel. As for the stayaways, intent on turning their back on the Club until McGhee is away, well they're a bigger problem than any manager ever will be.

I think the influence McDonald has on our team (and in McGhees selections) can't be understated. I'd go as far as saying that we'll miss him much more when he goes than we will miss Moult

Everton? Hmmm...the 'human chinese fortune cookie' got this one right

Aye, anybody that thinks a professional footballer wouldn't be down after playing so well but by having such a monumental blunder, clearly isn't thinking straight.

Lee Erwin was a very talented player, at our level, he'll never be prolific though and while I have no evidence whatsoever it seems that he was just out of his depth at Leeds. If we lose Moult and McDonald in the Summer I'd happily see him back at Fir Park. For those that say he should have knocked Leeds back though? Who the fuck are you trying to kid? If Joe is right and he is earning £7k-a-week on a 3year deal, then thats a basic contract of almost £1,100,000...come on now, there is no one on here that wouldn't accept that type of contract, or advise their sons to snap it up, regardless of whether or not they thought they'd be out their depth...or what their previous injury or goalscoring history is. For talking sake, how many seasons would he have to play with us to reach £1,000,000 in earnings? Erwin will finish his 3 year deal with Leeds as a very wealthy young man, if his stock is lower than it was previous to signing for Leeds then the worst that will happen is that he'll end up either in the SPFL or a lower league English Club on a smaller salary but with oodles of cash in the bank (as long as he isn't a complete bam).

'Once they build the fourth stand'...How long have they been at this place and its still not finished? Fucking hate the idea of playing at a Stadium that isn't enclosed

Aye you're probably right...

I used that as a quick, poorly-thought out example, purely as a point for discussion...there will be anomalies of course there will, Hamilton will never bring anymore fans over to Fir Park, regardless of price but you see what I'm getting at. I'm pretty confident that Motherwell would take bigger crowds to the likes of Killie, Thistle and Dundee (and vice versa), if there was a bit of joined up thinking between the clubs ie 'you let our fans in for a tenner and we'll do the same for you'.

This has just been posted on Motherwells Facebook page...I'd be thinking twice about going to the Cooper Bar now, incredible decision Motherwell FC added 2 new photos. 26 mins · | The Cooper Bar is open from 11am on Saturday, serving drinks and food . The bottle bar will also be open before & after the match. We welcome home & away supporters Rangers FC and we look forward to seeing you all from 11am #MFCvRFC

^^ this is why I rarely attend away matches anymore...its just not value for money. I make a point of buying my season ticket each year out of sheer loyalty to our Football Club and to bring my boys up as 'well fans...if it wasn't for the boys, I'd have one less reason to actually bother with the season book at all, so I can understand why so many people seem to have 'chucked it'. The standard is poor, not just in comparison to what we see on the TV from down south and abroad, but to what we've seen at Fir Park over the years. The cost is relatively high in comparison with other things that can be deemed 'entertainment' The league structure is monotonous ie playing the same teams over and over, as well as one team (as opposed to the usual 2) romping the league continually The fucking about with kick-off times...there is a good chance that I won't make Saturdays match for example, because of the early start...deteriorating the value of my season ticket The poor away supports that we continually see (and that we offer up as well), do nothing for the image of the game or for the spectacle of being at a match. I don't know what is so difficult about teams like ourselves, Killie, Dundee, Inverness, Ross County, Accies and Partick getting together to offer some sort of across the board discount to encourage fans of the opposing team to travel in numbers, rather than charging 100 fans £20 each to get into Victoria Park, why not charge 200 fans a tenner each...enhancing the product? Anyway, I'm dragging this well away from the Rangers thread...but basically, I can completely understand why, as BB says, some people find us being out of the Cup as virtually season over (unless we end up in a relegation fight).

Yip...our guys should have thanked them for the invite but knocked it back. Fair do's if its a Rangers tradition, but its not ours and we shouldn't have had any part in it.

I wasn't a fan of McGhees tactics in the 1st half, we were ultra-defensive, nothing else can describe a formation that sees Louis Moult up front on his own, Joe Chalmers and Stevie Hammell both playing left back and Craig Clay as the 'forward thinker' from a midfield 3 he occupied with Lasley and McHugh. How much of that was down to the cards he was dealt? I'm not sure. Something has clearly gone on with Skippy, as even half-fit he's still one of our more accomplished players. whilst Ainsworth obviously isn't getting the message that he needs to up his defensive game if he wants more minutes on the pitch. That said, we rode our luck continually in the 1st half, the penalty incident aside (which was as stonewall as you'll see) Rangers found themselves in great positions but without the guile to take advantage...Rangers are completely powderpuff, and the fact they had so much possession and done so little with it says just as much about their inabilities as it does ours. The 'great' Barrie McKay, is a decent player, but he was incredibly wasteful and seems unable to use his left foot. Rangers on the whole just aren't up to much and it disappointed me that we never went at them from the off, as they are clearly fragile right across their back line as was shown from the goal we scored, which I'd imagine they'll be raging about...as I said though, it may tell us something with regards to what McGhee thinks of his squad. Two senior players watching from the bench were really the only potential changes that could have been made...the fact both started on the bench and only one got on says a lot. However, for all I've said that I was disappointed with the original set-up, there was clearly a spell where I thought, 'if we get a result here, McGhee has got it absolutely bang on the money'...just like he did in the 2nd half against Accies a few weeks back, when he refused to make a sub earlier than he felt necessary and came away with a deserved draw. The fact that one of his centre backs slipped when trying to keep up with a geriatric (who incidentally, was Rangers best player by a mile) and another one (who I've praised all season) had some sort of breakdown in the final minute, resulting in two cheap goals is most definitely not the fault of Mark McGhee...throw into the mix Scott McDonald filling his drawers in the Rangers box just after they had scored, and you can see why the manager was clearly upset in his after match interview. There have been many occasions this season where McGhee has stuck up for his players when they haven't deserved it, which can be seen as good man-management, but if it doesnt get a reaction and the players continue to fail then how long can he continue to blow smoke up their arse and attempt to dress everything up as rosy...you can only be unlucky so many times. I'm hoping that now, we see a reaction from the players and we come out firing next Saturday.

Got told last night that we have definitely made a bid for O'Halloran on loan until the end of the season...'along with just about every other club in the league'

The fear with what you suggest though is that we either build 4 small stands like St Mirren have, with no real plan of being able to increase the capacity or a 'half-finished' effort along the lines of Falkirk or Accies, with the promise of 'we'll build more stands at a later date'. By building a 7,000 seater stadium we are virtually giving up the ghost in my opinion, basically saying 'this is as good as it gets'. We've got to be ambitious (to a certain extent), we've got to get the local community behind the club by hook or by crook, make it appealing to support the football team. I fully understand that no one wants a white elephant, but when that big match does come along I'd rather we had 9035 people in through the gate than 7000 in and 2035 peering through holes in the tarpaulin on the unfinished side of the ground. Anyway, it doesnt look like it will be happening any time soon

Thats it in a nutshell...the 'elite 8' (you've got to laugh at a group where Accies are regarded as Elite) will get more funding from the SFA than we get, they will also be able to attract the better prospects locally. I honestly can't believe that this is being seriously considered as being a fair way to move forward