Where Do We Go From Here ?

[Ya Bezzer!]

We go to mid table.

 

And you know what?

 

That's fine.

 

It's not fine. Even if we are mid table we shouldn't be thinking it's "fine". We should be striving to be better.

 

BTW my kids don't even want to go the next match after the last few performances and I don't think anyone can blame them for that!

 

We need to attract people to the club or at least retain the fans we've got. We won't do that playing like we did against Aberdeen, St. Johnstone and Dundee Utd.

 

We will have bad spells but the last months performances are not "fine". They are unacceptable and if we don't actually confront that they won't get any better.

[Steve Diggle]

Great post by Steelboy

 

Ya Bezzer. Have a word with yourself. And your kids

[andalg]

We are currently sitting 4th in the league 3pts off 2nd place and 26pts of the bottom I can remember when that would have been considered a brilliant season. I don't support Motherwell because I expect them to win every week, the way some people are going on in here maybe they would be better off supporting Celtic or Rangers. Sure the team is not playing as well as last years team but do people forget the stick Higdon and co took at times over the past couple of seasons ? Fans are entitled to criticise but every now and again they should remember the bad old days, things could always, and frequently have been, worse.

[TAM]

I'd love to see us have the guts to forget about 'success' for this season and start to trully blood the younger guys. United were very good on Saturday with a team of kids who are comparible age wise to our youngsters but their's have much more first team experience. Moore has looked very good when he's had the chance and I like the look of big Erwin. Let's see what else we've got and bring through the core of a new first team squad at once in the first team rather than in the 20's where they are mostly annonymous to the fans.

Lets get thim in a create hype about how good our youngsters are!!!

 

United went through a spell of buying in experience and having some relative success but it wasn't moving them forward, they bit the bullet and knew they would have a few seasons of pain and now are strating to see what could be possible.

 

Time for a drastic change of ethos at our club.

[WellTiliDie]

In financial terms bringing young players up through the ranks is something that should be extremely important to the club. Carswell is the only player of note to have been given the opportunity by McCall in his near 3 years at the club. It must be disheartening for the youngsters on the bench when they see Carswell being moved to right back on Saturday and then McCall takes an age to finally decide to put on Murray when Carsell went off injured. That can't be good for the lads confidence being more or less put on as a last resort.

 

These players have got to be given the chance to shine and it might take them a few games to get up to speed but they have the potential to be money makers for the club unlike the likes of Anier and Ainsworth. Moore as well has showed promise in his first team appearances yet McHugh seems to be in front of him in the pecking order when he has proven that he can't cut it at the the top level.

 

There is no way we will get relegated this season and we should be making the top 6 but not the top 3 in my opinion. Now is the time for McCall to be brave and show some faith in the youngsters. It might not look good on the CV if the results don't come off but it is definitely worth it in the long term for Motherwell.

[rambunctious]

I'd like to see a change in formation.

 

I completely understand why McCall has gone with the 442, and stuck with it. It's nice and simple, gives a good balance and it's worked, very successfully, for us in the past.

 

However, with the lack of pace, skill and creativity in the team this year i'd like to see us go with a formation that gives us a bit more width and/or depth. I know we've struggled to score goals of late and changing to just the one striker might not seem ideal but either of these two would be an improvement in the number of chances created i think.

 

The first would maybe leave Sutton/Anier a little isolated but we'd be able to take control of the middle of the park (which has been a problem) and leave the wingers to do their thing going forward, ultimating ending in getting more balls into box.

 

 

----------------Sutton/Anier

ZFA/Faddy -------------------Ainsworth

---------Vigurs/Carswell Lasley

------------------Lawson

Hammell McManus Hutch Ramsden

 

--------------------Hollis

 

 

 

The next would maybe see us give a lot more support in and around the centre forward. We'd maybe leave a bit of a gap in the middle of the park where the opposition could take control of possession a little, but with two sitting in front of the defence we'd be a lot more difficult to break down.

 

 

-----------------Sutton/Anier

ZFA/Faddy Vigurs/Faddy Ainsworth

 

--------Lawson/Carswell Lasley

Hammell McManus Hutch Ramsden

--------------------Hollis

 

 

It would be a bit of a shame to break up the Sutton/Anier partnership (although they've not been so productive in recent) but our midfield is an absolute shambles right now

 

I think either of these formations better suit the players we have in the squad the now. Lawson and Vigurs are clearly not suited to play in a 2 man midfield, and McFadden and Vigurs are also not best suited be stuck on the right/left. Vigurs and Lawson are plainly good players, and have been under some undue criticism. Both have been asked to play in roles which they're not best suited for. Lawson needs a deeper role where he can receive the ball, pick out passes and break up the play. Vigurs show flashes of skill and creativity, and his left peg would probably be more effective further forward where he can beat a man pick a cross or score goals which he did only last season for County!

And this patter about Faddy being no-use/past it/waste of money

 

I in no way shape or form have lost faith in McCall or the players like some of the dafties on here! We are decent side with a good manager. Kilmarnock, Hearts, Hibs, St Mirren, Ross County, Partick Thistle are not. We are also sitting above the team that pumped us on Saturday and the team that beat us easily a couple of weeks ago, while only being a few points behind second and 8 behind the leaders a third of the way through the season.

 

If Motherwell were ever to win the Champions League there'd be cunts on here wanting the managers head if we didn't win the Super Cup afterwards

[rambunctious]

Been playing a lot of Football Manager recently, does it show??

[The Skipper]

Is it down to the lake I fear?

[Big Stall]

It will be if we get banjo'ed out the cup!

[weeyin]

We've set the bar the last few seasons on what can be achieved with a small squad and limited resources. Our rivals have worked hard to catch us.

 

Now a few of them have caught us up, it's back in our court to see how we can respond.

 

It's all part of the game and I look forward to see how we react.

[ropy]

1384188718[/url]' post='398982']

Is it down to the lake I fear?

 

This thread was started on 31st October and it was only today that I considered this very response. Spooky.

[weeyin]

This thread was started on 31st October and it was only today that I considered this very response. Spooky.

 

Must be a Fantastic Day.

[GazzyB]

People are talking as if our season's over and top 6 is all we can hope for. We're 3 points off second and surely still right in the mix for a European spot!

[decorator]

I'd like to see a change in formation.

 

I completely understand why McCall has gone with the 442, and stuck with it. It's nice and simple, gives a good balance and it's worked, very successfully, for us in the past.

 

However, with the lack of pace, skill and creativity in the team this year i'd like to see us go with a formation that gives us a bit more width and/or depth. I know we've struggled to score goals of late and changing to just the one striker might not seem ideal but either of these two would be an improvement in the number of chances created i think.

 

The first would maybe leave Sutton/Anier a little isolated but we'd be able to take control of the middle of the park (which has been a problem) and leave the wingers to do their thing going forward, ultimating ending in getting more balls into box.

 

 

----------------Sutton/Anier

ZFA/Faddy -------------------Ainsworth

---------Vigurs/Carswell Lasley

------------------Lawson

Hammell McManus Hutch Ramsden

 

--------------------Hollis

 

 

 

The next would maybe see us give a lot more support in and around the centre forward. We'd maybe leave a bit of a gap in the middle of the park where the opposition could take control of possession a little, but with two sitting in front of the defence we'd be a lot more difficult to break down.

 

 

-----------------Sutton/Anier

ZFA/Faddy Vigurs/Faddy Ainsworth

 

--------Lawson/Carswell Lasley

Hammell McManus Hutch Ramsden

--------------------Hollis

 

 

It would be a bit of a shame to break up the Sutton/Anier partnership (although they've not been so productive in recent) but our midfield is an absolute shambles right now

 

I think either of these formations better suit the players we have in the squad the now. Lawson and Vigurs are clearly not suited to play in a 2 man midfield, and McFadden and Vigurs are also not best suited be stuck on the right/left. Vigurs and Lawson are plainly good players, and have been under some undue criticism. Both have been asked to play in roles which they're not best suited for. Lawson needs a deeper role where he can receive the ball, pick out passes and break up the play. Vigurs show flashes of skill and creativity, and his left peg would probably be more effective further forward where he can beat a man pick a cross or score goals which he did only last season for County!

And this patter about Faddy being no-use/past it/waste of money

 

I in no way shape or form have lost faith in McCall or the players like some of the dafties on here! We are decent side with a good manager. Kilmarnock, Hearts, Hibs, St Mirren, Ross County, Partick Thistle are not. We are also sitting above the team that pumped us on Saturday and the team that beat us easily a couple of weeks ago, while only being a few points behind second and 8 behind the leaders a third of the way through the season.

 

If Motherwell were ever to win the Champions League there'd be cunts on here wanting the managers head if we didn't win the Super Cup afterwards

mccall would leave the players out the champions league final so they were fresh for the super cup

[Coolhandluc]

well the match sponsors gallowway and mcleod were all sitting in front of me pished ! they came in at 6 mins past 3 then 11 mins after 1/2 time and they were not watching the game cause they were all sheep sha___ing fermers talking one load aof minure no wonder they picked the wrong mom /ymom and that is facts !!!!

To be fair, I would be enjoying the hospitality too . Going by some of the pish that gets spouted in the East, some MOTM choices would be equally baffling.....and half of them are sober

[Yabba's Turd]

Playing young players while you are paying pros more is a great idea, and when the young guys are getting pelters for us sliding down the league and costing us money in league placing, we'll turn to the better players we dropped and ask them to save our season.

[Frazzie]

To be fair, I would be enjoying the hospitality too . Going by some of the pish that gets spouted in the East, some MOTM choices would be equally baffling.....and half of them are sober

 

When Fir Park Corner sponsored the Killie game a couple of months back, we were absolutely blootered and chose MOTM based on who we thought was most likely to come out and have a swally with us!

[Ya Bezzer!]

I'd like to see a change in formation.

 

I completely understand why McCall has gone with the 442, and stuck with it. It's nice and simple, gives a good balance and it's worked, very successfully, for us in the past.

 

However, with the lack of pace, skill and creativity in the team this year i'd like to see us go with a formation that gives us a bit more width and/or depth.

 

Our wide players are dire, it's probably the weakest area in the team so why would we want to shift the focus on to them?

 

You are right that we lack pace, skill and creativity. When that's the case changing formations is just tilting at windmills.

 

The only way out of the current morass is 1) Current 1st team players up their performance or 2) Give other players a chance in the first team. 3) Bring in new players at Christmas.

 

Perhaps at the elite level formations are more importance but I think at our level the importance of formations is over rated except when teams have 5 against 4 in the middle of the park and can overwhelm the midfield.

 

Generally players take up the same positions during the course of a game.

[Stuart_B]

not a reply to any post in particular, just a dump of the rubbish going round my head since the pain of Saturday afternoon.

 

First and foremost, there seems to be a lack of confidence about the team, which I guess, stems from some of the performances of late. Trying to be objective and balanced, I thought we started OK on Saturday, and up until the goals, didn't look anything like as bad as we did at the end. Sadly, the effects of the goals, and the cheapness of them seemed to drain what fragile confidence we did have, and galvanized United, to the point where they were almost toying with us. They could and should have scored more than they did, indeed the offside goal looked very dodgy from my seat at half-way in the East. But we didn't ask anything like enough questions of them, and they took full advantage.

 

The main thing that struck me about the two teams was the difference in workrate off the ball. For the most part, United players had an option to pass to feet virtually all the time, which was in complete contrast to 'Well players. Their man in possession had an easy pass if he wanted, where ours were forced to launch it, or attempt to beat the United players (and there was normally more than one) challenging for the ball, or be caught in possession. ZFA losing the second goal being a prime example. It seemed the guy on the ball was being hung out to dry, and left with a lose-lose situation. Downward spiral, as possession surrendered, we chased the ball for a while, and confidence dipped

 

Trying to work out why (it sure beats working !) it seems obvious enough that some of our players are slower when compared to last year. We haven't replaced the pace of Humphrey or Ojamaa, for example, and Lasley and McFadden are a year older. Is this enough to explain it ? I don't think it can be just that. I agree with most of the constructive posts on here, in that I suspect we need to change formation to suit the players we have, instead of persisting with the notion of forcing last season's formation onto this season's players.

 

We don't have BAD players, but we certainly don't have EFFECTIVE ones, well not at the moment. The team, or the fans at least, got a lift when Moore came on. His effort was rightly applauded, and while some of that might be down to the patience given to a young player, he contributed plenty of zest, and also one of the two dangerous crosses we produced in the game, right along the 6-yard line. Can we start with him, or would that put too much pressure on ? Would he be the next to be dismissed as the promising youngster that didn't quite live up to expectation, if he couldn't achieve the same level of performance over a longer period ? Difficult to say, especially as patience is kind of scarce at times. It might also put pressure on the player if he is seen as the "solution".

 

I think it's safe to say we are in for a tougher time than we've been used to in recent seasons. I'd better go and learn to be patient.....(oh dear, what do they say about old dogs and new tricks !)

[Well 4 Europe]

We don't have BAD players, but we certainly don't have EFFECTIVE ones, well not at the moment. The team, or the fans at least, got a lift when Moore came on. His effort was rightly applauded, and while some of that might be down to the patience given to a young player, he contributed plenty of zest, and also one of the two dangerous crosses we produced in the game, right along the 6-yard line. Can we start with him, or would that put too much pressure on ? Would he be the next to be dismissed as the promising youngster that didn't quite live up to expectation, if he couldn't achieve the same level of performance over a longer period ? Difficult to say, especially as patience is kind of scarce at times. It might also put pressure on the player if he is seen as the "solution".

 

I don't think it would be the worst idea in the world to give Moore a start in the near future.

 

Sutton, Anier, McHugh have all started games recently and yet none of them have scored since September. In fact Moore's goal against Hearts remains the only goal we've scored from open play since September, which is slightly depressing when you think about it. He certainly could inject a bit of freshness to our stale attack, at the very least he'd be something of an unknown quantity.

 

He's also not that young really, he's 19 and looks like he could handle himself physically . He's also got some decent first team experience behind him with his spell at Cowdenbeath, where he was prolfic with 7 goals in 11 starts which is very impressive for a youngster getting his first taste of first team football. Especially playing in a physical league like the 1st Division in a poor team involved in a relegation scrap. He's also just scored his 12th goal of the season for U20's today so his confidence must be sky high.

 

I'm sure most 'Well fans are sensible enough to understand he's still a young lad and he's not going to magically fix all our problems. However if he keeps scoring for the U20's and continues to impress in his cameo appearances for the first team then his first start can't be too far away.

 

Perhaps the cup game in a few weeks against Albion Rovers could be the ideal opportunity to give him his first start for the club?

[johnstone]

If you lose Murphy, Humphrey, Law, Ojamma and a 30 goal a season front man and replace them with poorer players then of course we are going to struggle. Throw into the mix Faddy who has not been fit then its even more of an up hill task.

 

Here is our team from our best result and performance of last season. The 3-1 win over Celtic:

 

01 Randolph

03 Hammell

05 Hutchinson

15 Ramsden

04 Law (Higginbotham - 90' )

06 Hateley

07 Humphrey

14 Lasley

08 Ojamaa (Francis-Angol - 89' )

09 Higdon

20 McFadden (Carswell - 85' )

 

The only part of that team that remains is the defensive part - all our attacking threat is gone. Apart from ZFA and a totally unfit Faddy.

 

I actually think its miraculous we are so high up the table considering the surgery McCall has had to perform on the team with virtually no money to play with.

 

I do agree we need to bleed in the youngsters more - just get rid of Anier and play Moore - to me Anier is a pointless addition to the squad if he goes in January. That could have been 6 months with Moore in the first team.

[Steve Diggle]

Anier is a good player.

 

We're searching for targets

[steelboy]

Anier has been terrible the past few games so Moore should start against killie with Sutton. If he doesn't pick up extending his loan is just more money down the drain.

 

Hopefully McCall will be working hard with the players in training to improve our attacking play before the killie game.....

[Malky79]

I thought Anier started well, but given his form in last few games has been poor while Moores looked lively off the bench I think he deserves a start.

[dosser1886]

Moore deserves to be at least ahead of McHugh.