Great Expectations?

[Andy_P]

Okay, part for me reckons this has already been discussed to death and another thread will mean we will only be going over old ground yet again. But another part of me thinks it will be interesting to find out just what the expectation level is for each us on here and how we feel the club should be backed.

 

If you are weary of it I'm sure the thread will soon drop down the page!

 

There's a belief that your life experiences condition your views and opinions on anything in life and it would seem natural to believe that applies to football also. But does it?

 

Does experiencing relegation in the 1980's example give you a more rounded view of Motherwell's place in the grand scheme? Is someone who has only experienced the relative good times of post-administration MFC wrong in believing Motherwell should be up near the top of the table when it could be all they've known.

 

I haven't asked for people's ages but I have asked to check off events that you have experienced to see if there's any correlation between years of experience and expectation levels and allied to that how you believe you should support the team.

 

Difficult to guage also how exactly to put the questions but throwing it open for discussion nonetheless seeing as they are points that have been gone over quite a bit recently......

 

 

 

 

 

 

[weesacs]

ive answered.........

 

what do i believe? or what would i be happy with? i think you may get some folk struggling on the wording!!

 

again for the support.........how do i support the team?? or how do i believe the team should be supported?

[sbcmfc]

I think top 6 is about our level. However my expectations at the start of a season are probably more.

 

I think barring more injuries, we could punch above our weight this season, maybe 3rd or 4th, and a crack at Europe.

[santheman]

I,ve always taken the view that (in Scotland at least) a clubs success can generally be directly measured against their gates/income

On that basis we are definately punching above our weight at the moment. There is also the added bonus that we are debt free.

[Steve Diggle]

What you've experienced in the past definitely should colour the way in which you support the team. Although when I look round about me on a Saturday it doesn't appear to be the case - folk who are old enough to have witnessed some of the problematic periods in our recent history still expect us to be Real Madrid.

 

Our overall recent history has been nothing short of outstanding when you weight it up really.

 

We regularly outperform city sides in terms of league position and have regularly been top of the provincials.

 

That's more than I think we are entitled to expect.

 

If come 4.45 on a saturday there are 11-14 Motherwell shirts walking back to the changing room with a fair ammount of honest sweat on them then I'm happy. I don't get pissed off that much by poor performances - I get pissed off when the 'application' and 'effort' isn't right - and from discussions over the lifetime of these boards - I appear to be one of the few that think we have been served, by and large, by players willing to put in a shift more often than not.

 

Our place in the grand scheme of things should be at yo yo club level. Given the size of the town we could quite easily be up and doon like a slappers drawers tha way that falkirk and accies are - and I think that's the part that people fail to acknowledge (their fans pay the same 20 quid we do).

 

I continue to take my hat off to the guys that make Motherwell Football Club an outstanding institution. Given our financial position the on field achievements have been nothing short of incredible (if you care to stop and actually think about it).

 

I'd love to see us continue to play attacking football - something folk want to come and see - and I generall don't get upset at a bad result if we've played well and given it a go & I'd love to see a load of my mates who used to go to games home and away come back in to the fold. And I think the guys in the far end of the East have taken us back in time with the atmosphere they've created - given the sterile environment they have compared to the bad old 70s and 80s their achievents fro St Johnstone Semi Final on have been superb.

 

Times are tough, budgets are tight - but we're fuckin brilliant.

 

Life's too fuckin short for some of this bollocks!

[fatcalf]

Ma eyes hurt, no' reading all that

[Mad Dog]

I'm happy with winning more games than we lose and the odd crack at Europe adds to the excitement. My main expectation is that we can only lose by the odd goal against the O.F. and maybe pick up the occasional point or three once in a while. Getting raped by them time after time is humiliating.

[mfcdez]

My first experiences of coming to Fir Park were the mid 80's when we won the 1st division to seal our return to the top flight . Since then I have obviously witnessed the highs of 2nd and 3rd place finishes , european football , and numerous trips to Hampden , including the Scottish cup win .

The contrasting lows of administration , final day survival fights , and the Malpas era put into context the varying fortunes a club of our size faces .

With the fanbase we have and the modest revenue it generates , there can be no arguing that we have been spoiled in recent times . The problem is that the more success the team has , the more some people come to expect .

The perspective I try to maintain is to enjoy the good times when we have them , while realising that the tougher times may one day return .and in these times of ever decreasing gates and budgets the chances are that they will .

Win , lose or draw , so long as there are 11 players on the park in a 'Well shirt putting in an honest shift more often than not , that'll do for me .

[ONeils40yarder]

when you look at it in the cold light of day, we should thank our lucky stars that we havent been relegated since the early 80's. When you consider Clubs of the size and stature of Hibs and Dundee Utd have been relegated since we last were and clubs who I would consider to be of comparable size such as FDalkirk, Dunfermline, St Mirren, Partick, Killie, Raith, Dundee etc have all been relegated and in some cases spent considerable amounts of time outwith the Premier Division, you have to say that the 'well fans have been spoilt to an extent over the past 25years or so, in fact I'm one of a generation of 'well fans that know nothing other than Premier league fitba'!!!!!!.

 

There have been a few hellish lows in that time, saved from relegation on two occasions for 'non-footballing' reasons, administration, a few fucking thumpings, managers taking us for a ride etc but again when you weigh that up against the positives, 25years in the top flight, a Cup win in 1991, numerous semis and finals more recently, 6 (?) European campaigns, seeing some tremendous talents playing in C&A - Faddy, Lambert, Phil, Michael Higdon etc. We really do have a bit of a cheek to complain about our lot in my opinion.

 

On our budget, I think we are punching above our weight as a Football Club and have been for some time, but we have shown that it can be done and with the correct managerial appointments we can continue to be successful, particularly when you look at the opposition we are up against - this isnt the 80's (or even teh 90''s) where Dundee Utd and Aberdeen were streets ahead of us on all fronts, we seem to know our capabilities and how to manage our resources and that to me is teh most important thing, for all Aberdeen, Hibs, United, Hearts, all have far bigger resources that us, they donst seem to know how to use them. Keep going the way we are, and we will continue to 'punch above our weight'.

 

As for one of the other questions with regards to how we should support the team? I answered that you should be able to support as you see fit ie 'I;ve paid my money and I'll say what I like', that may seem quite contradictory on my part, given that I'm the self-appointed 'Chairman of the Michael Higdon Appreciation Society', but I'm all for free speech and I dont think that those who let the team know they are unhappy are any less fans than those who give positive backing, although I agree with the gaffer in that nothing positive ever comes from negativity in the stands. I believe that criticism has its place on the 'terraces' but there is a difference between criticism and unfair criticism and that is my real issue with the Higgy-haters, I think he offers a lot to the team that others arent seeing, I've criticised plenty of 'well players (although never goaded any player every time he gets the ball) over the years, Roddie, Shivute, all of Kampmanns signings, Gow, O'Brien, Malpas' Irish boys etc. People have every right to say what they want, but if I think they are wrong I'll tell them.

[SuperCC]

I think top 6 is about our level. However my expectations at the start of a season are probably more.

 

I think barring more injuries, we could punch above our weight this season, maybe 3rd or 4th, and a crack at Europe.

 

I actually think bottom 6 is our level and my expectations are that we will (and can) better those expectations on a regular basis. I'm not trying to be negative but if we are well clear of the bottom 3 or 4 by Christmas then that to me is a good season - everything else is a lovely bonus!

[superwell87]

I would say that we are a mid-ranking SPL side who should be happy with a top half finish and that the club should be given as much vocal support as possible at games regardless of the onfield circumstances.

[weeyin]

I actually think bottom 6 is our level and my expectations are that we will (and can) better those expectations on a regular basis. I'm not trying to be negative but if we are well clear of the bottom 3 or 4 by Christmas then that to me is a good season - everything else is a lovely bonus!

 

Kind of the same here. Been following since the 70/71 season, so seen plenty of ups and downs.

 

For me, in a 12 team league, 10th or better is a success. Not that I don't think we can do better - just that I know how easy it is to slip into the first division once things start to go wrong.

 

Definitely been spoiled with recent high league placings, Europa runs and Cup runs, so it wouldn't surprise to go a few seasons without any more of those.

[JBA]

I went for challenging for a European place as the question asks what is our current standing in the game. We are as good as any of the rest in the SPL so should be up there and have been over the last few seasons. However, over the long term I would expect us to be a top 6 team once the economics of football catch up with us.

 

I also voted for if you pay your money you can criticise if you want. This may not be a popular choice, but people should be able to express themselves any way they wish within the context of the stadium rules and the law. The happy clappy dont like it, but personally I find some of it quite funny.

[Ian-in-Oz]

I would say the Motherwell just now are exactly the same as they have been for the last 20 odd years. There is the odd blip like the Malpas era or finishing 2nd but in general we are no better or worse than 20 years ago. The reason we are now finishing top 6 & challenging for Europe is because of the demise of the other teams. The old power houses of Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, Hibs, Dundee etc have fallen away & seem to be getting worse each year. Even the top teams of Rangers, Celtic & Hearts aren't a patch on what they used to be. While these teams have been faltering Motherwell have remained a constant and as such increased their standing in the league.

In short Motherwell the same as always the other teams pish making us look better than we are.

[mwellhighland]

I went for challenging for a European place as the question asks what is our current standing in the game. We are as good as any of the rest in the SPL so should be up there and have been over the last few seasons. However, over the long term I would expect us to be a top 6 team once the economics of football catch up with us.

 

same

[Stu]

The thread title mentions "expectations", but they aren't included in the poll. Based on the last few seasons, I'd say our current standing is a top 6 team, simply because we have finished in the top 6 regularly.

 

However, my expectation for Motherwell in any season is to be somewhere between 7th and 11th. There are six clubs bigger than us (thankfully they are run terribly) but I don't see us as a First Division side either.

[Waldo]

Looking at the stats like turnover, wages paid out, average crowd, average league postion we come out 7th or 8th (can't remember) so anything above that is a bonus. I think most are happy with top six and a good cup run.

 

However I remember the criticsim of the team last season on here when we were top six, just lost the LC semi and were about to play St Johnstone in the SC semi - two games away from our best season in a lifetime!!!!!!

[steelboy]

i just want us to make the most of our resources which i think we are doing pretty well just now.

 

i clicked we should be currently challenging for europe but that's as much of a reflection of the poor stewardship of hearts, hibs and aberdeen as a comment on our standing. right now i think competing for third often is realistic but that could be taken out our hands without any decline in standards at fir park if those 3 clubs got their act together.

[CrosshillWell]

I've witnessed some outstanding talent in the shirt, especially McFadden.

 

Been a victim of watching crap too, McLeish is the offender for this really. Well, expensive crap with him.

 

I just hope the new young players progress the way that Phil, Lambert, McFadden, Ross McCormack and the others that have slipped from my head, have done in the past.

 

What a season so far. Never mind Rangers Lennon, we are still above you. Oh, and how much did you spend on that team of garbage?

[David]

I'm more than happy with top six football and a decent cup run. If we manage to challenge for a top 4 position that's a bonus.

[Yabba's Turd]

Not last and win the fighting.

[Stuart McCall]

Went for european place simply because thats what i really want to see, and with our squad is actually reasonably realistic.

In my opinion european nights are the best and no domestic cup run can replicate that for me, playing the same old teams