Motherwell Vs Stjarnan Fc

[Welldaft Mk1]

Do we know for a fact that Stjarnan are a part time team?

 

I read a comment below from ex Rangers player playing at Vikingur in Iceland:

 

Lowing himself hasn’t ruled out a return to Scotland one day.

 

He said: “I never expected to stay here this long, but I enjoy the security of full-time football and I’m only a two-hour flight from Glasgow.

 

“I presume I’ll return one day, but I honestly couldn’t say when or at what level.”

 

 

[Sup3rw3ll]

Sadly, it looks like the trip to Portugal was more a busmans holiday than training camp.

[Well Up For It!]

Before last nights result would have been delighted with that draw. On our day, I'm sure we'd be more than a match for Poznan and the Estonian mob.

 

Think we will get the result to progress next week, but I imagine both our potential next round opponents will be a massive step up in class.

 

Funnily enough, I was in Gdansk in October 2009 and saw Lechia Gdansk play Poznan (with a certain Robert Lewandowski leading their line!) Was a dull 0-0 and remember thinking at the time that the 'Well would probably mount a title challenge in the Polish League. Poznan went on to win the title that year as well, and they are a shadow of the team these days.

[postiejim]

Can't believe that some don't think we can win in Iceland. I'm confident of a victory with a bit tae spare. Mon the Well.

[Goggles & Flippers]

We ended up that game yesterday a shadow of the team that started it Well Up For It.

 

Expect the Icelanders to sit in, we have to go for it and we've shown we have no ideas when the opposition park the bus. We do have enough to come through this tie but it needs a bit of a kick up the arse to get it. This week should involve beasting the steps at the Strathy and focussing on not passing the ball to the opposition in the middle of the park.

[postiejim]

Tae be fair goggles & flippers a lot of better teams than us find it difficult to play against 10 men packing the penalty box .

[Toxteth O'Grady]

For what it's worth...

 

Nomme Kalju defeated Fram Reykjavík 3-2 on aggregate in the 1st qualifying round (Nomme Kalju were the seeded team).

 

UEFA coefficients:

 

Lech Poznan 17.275

Motherwell 8.313

Nomme Kalju 2.825

 

Would be tremendous if Nomme Kalju made it through.

[chummy]

Would be tremendous if we made it through.

[Goggles & Flippers]

Tae be fair goggles & flippers a lot of better teams than us find it difficult to play against 10 men packing the penalty box .

 

Yeah but last season we couldn't overcome 9 men vs Aberdeen and again playing 10 postmen, joiners, and bank clerks.

 

To be fair, a lot worse teams than us would have closed out that tie last night. They were there for the taking and we eased off, it tied in when Ainsworth seemed disinterested.

 

Portugal looks like a jolly opposed to how it was advertised.

[weeyin]

Ok whats your thoughts on the game..... give me some positivity....

My point is that it's possible to have a poor result without everything being dismal. Go back and read some of last season's threads after a loss and you would think we were in a relegation battle rather than a fight for 2nd.

 

It is actually possible to have a poor result without 100% of every aspect of a performance being negative.

 

You want something positive? Our new guy scored. We are still in the tie, some of our best wins last season were away from home and we will be a little sharper and fitter in the 2nd leg.

 

Does that mean I'm happy about last night? Of course not, but it doesn't mean everything is doom and gloom. Life, including football, is a little more nuanced than that.

[Steve Diggle]

Portugal was a jolly? Holy fuck we are bitter and twisted.

 

Being a bit short on match sharpness an fitness probably means we started back too late and played too few games rather than done fuck all in Portugal.

 

Of course we could have killed that game off in the first half - it could have been 4 or 5. Instead we eased of and retained possession too deep and drew them further up the park. Bad decision making in the final third and poor finishing caused us the problems.

 

If we apply ourselves and maintain the pressure we'll see this side off over there. A lot of times in Europe we treat teams playing at Fir Park with too much respect and I think that was the case last night. Not ruthless or offensive enough.

 

If at some point during the game last night (even briefly) we'd had Ainsworth right, Thomas left and Erwin and Sutton in the centre we'd ve caused them all sorts of shit.

 

Like sieb said earlier Lasley on a yellow having a mare plays the full 90 isn't clever. Love the man but he needed the hook last night.

 

Like the Llannelli shocker at Airdrie. We'll come away from it and do the business when it counts

 

Mon the Well

[Haggischomper]

The great Scottish sprinter Allan Wells would disagree with you on that one. I am sure he offered his services to clubs in the 80’s with the sole purpose of improving fast or slow players speed using his training techniques. Wells was confident that he could improve any players speed. I could be mistaken, however, If I remember correctly one of the first clubs he offered his services to was Motherwell but we declined. Maybe someone with a better memory than me can clarify the story.

 

Was it not Justin (?) Whittle or Elliot Bunney?

[maxywell]

Portugal was a jolly? Holy fuck we are bitter and twisted.

 

Being a bit short on match sharpness an fitness probably means we started back too late and played too few games rather than done fuck all in Portugal.

 

Of course we could have killed that game off in the first half - it could have been 4 or 5. Instead we eased of and retained possession too deep and drew them further up the park. Bad decision making in the final third and poor finishing caused us the problems.

 

If we apply ourselves and maintain the pressure we'll see this side off over there. A lot of times in Europe we treat teams playing at Fir Park with too much respect and I think that was the case last night. Not ruthless or offensive enough.

 

If at some point during the game last night (even briefly) we'd had Ainsworth right, Thomas left and Erwin and Sutton in the centre we'd ve caused them all sorts of shit.

 

Like sieb said earlier Lasley on a yellow having a mare plays the full 90 isn't clever. Love the man but he needed the hook last night.

 

Like the Llannelli shocker at Airdrie. We'll come away from it and do the business when it counts

 

Mon the Well

 

Not sure I share your optimism.For a start they're a lot better than Lannelli, they'll be more used to their plastic pitch, we still won't be at full fitness/sharpness and they look not bad on the counter.They'll sit in, play on the break and if they score first we're in serious trouble, can you really see us scoring twice against a team that parks the bus?

 

 

 

I still think we will win but if I took the c&a specs off and look at how the game went yesterday i'd say we're only very slight favs to go through.

[milo]

I wish I shared folks confidence that we can win over there. I don't think we'll go through on the evidence of what I seen last night. They came within a whisker of scoring at least another 3 goals, whilst we continued to make the same mistakes both individually and collectively that dogged us all of last season.

 

There's also the financial implications of missing out on another round in Europe.....

 

After a few years a getting tough teams we finally draw an "easy" team and we're halfway to fucking it up!

[underboyleheating]

Do we know for a fact that Stjarnan are a part time team?

Yes they are semi-professional outfit.

 

 

 

[dennyc]

"A lot of times in Europe we treat teams playing at Fir Park with too much respect and I think that was the case last night. Not ruthless or offensive enough."

 

 

 

Exactly this. A negative, cautious approach from the Manager from the moment the draw was made. Sometimes SM builds up the opposition to the extent it appears counterproductive. Even when we were two up and it was obvious we were a class above Stjarnan, the fear factor remained with the players. At times it looked like they were shitting themselves and unable to relax and let superior quality show through. Stjarnan would have sensed this and when SM decided to shut up shop and accept 2-1 by bringing on Kerr rather than Thomas it gave the Icelanders the extra spur they needed to go for it hell for leather. Another ten minutes and we would have lost the game.

 

To a degree, I can understand an element of caution against teams from a major European League with a huge budget and quality players. But last night! This was a rare occasion when we were in a position to kill off the tie in the home leg and that's the message that should have been given to the players from the moment we knew who were playing. We can still qualify for the next round, but only if we adopt a more positive, attacking approach and the Manager talks up his own players rather than the opposition.

[Ya Bezzer!]

"A lot of times in Europe we treat teams playing at Fir Park with too much respect and I think that was the case last night. Not ruthless or offensive enough."

 

 

 

Exactly this. A negative, cautious approach from the Manager from the moment the draw was made. Sometimes SM builds up the opposition to the extent it appears counterproductive. Even when we were two up and it was obvious we were a class above Stjarnan, the fear factor remained with the players. At times it looked like they were shitting themselves and unable to relax and let superior quality show through. Stjarnan would have sensed this and when SM decided to shut up shop and accept 2-1 by bringing on Kerr rather than Thomas it gave the Icelanders the extra spur they needed to go for it hell for leather. Another ten minutes and we would have lost the game.

 

To a degree, I can understand an element of caution against teams from a major European League with a huge budget and quality players. But last night! This was a rare occasion when we were in a position to kill off the tie in the home leg and that's the message that should have been given to the players from the moment we knew who were playing. We can still qualify for the next round, but only if we adopt a more positive, attacking approach and the Manager talks up his own players rather than the opposition.

 

Maybe there is something in this.

 

But last night I felt we just didn't have the gears to go through. The momentum of the game swung on the first penalty. At 2-0 down Stjarnan were getting a roasting, suddenly, partly because of a lucky deflection, they are back in the game and the energy of the match changes.

 

When it did change we didn't have the level of game fitness to turn it round again.

[Ya Bezzer!]

Like the Llannelli shocker at Airdrie. We'll come away from it and do the business when it counts

 

I agree mostly with you but the difference is LLanelli were absolutely dismal, the worst team I've ever seen. Stjarnan might not be a great team but they have some good players and are a danger on the break.

 

If Llanelli were a very minor junior league team, Stjarnan are a Dumbarton or a QoS. Going there will be no easy task and the plastic pitch gives them a further advantage.

 

Of course we can win the tie but I wouldn't exactly say I was bullish about it.

[superward]

I wish I shared folks confidence that we can win over there. I don't think we'll go through on the evidence of what I seen last night. They came within a whisker of scoring at least another 3 goals, whilst we continued to make the same mistakes both individually and collectively that dogged us all of last season.

 

There's also the financial implications of missing out on another round in Europe.....

 

After a few years a getting tough teams we finally draw an "easy" team and we're halfway to fucking it up!

 

To play devil's advocate we also should have had another 3 - Carswell and Sutton shots should have been stuck away. Vigurs goal should have stood as he was not offside but Sutton, an inactive player was. In fact, McManus could have scored too if not for a great save and Ramsdem claims a penalty. So thats 4 maybe 5 goals we were a whisker away from too!

[Kmcalpin]

If at some point during the game last night (even briefly) we'd had Ainsworth right, Thomas left and Erwin and Sutton in the centre we'd ve caused them all sorts of shit.

 

 

Not sure about Thomas, at this stage, but I agree with your general point. Playing with one out and out striker was tantamount to shooting ourselves in the foot. Erwin should have started or been brought on at half time. John Sutton cannot play on his own up front - how often do we have to learn that lesson...............

 

 

 

 

 

[underboyleheating]

Stjarnan are a Dumbarton or a QoS.

And like Dumbarton or Queen of the South, Stjarnan should be no match for a professional full time football team over two legs. I fully expect us to undo any damage from the first leg and progress into the next round. It doesn’t bare thinking about if we don’t.

[texanwellfan]

I think, for me, that the most annoying/dissapointing thing last night was the fact that despite being aware of our downfall in the past we end up getting done with the same old sucker punch again.

 

Game almost done, we didn't need to throw bodies up for the corner, that's the first ,mistake. we should have been pissing about in the corner with the ball to make sure we held our lead and seen the game out with a victory.

 

Secondly, since he was up there, first thing Ramsden should be doing ( and any one else in that fckn box) is hauling their arse back between the ball and our goal when they broke out. We did get some bodies back but ended up with 3 players stalling around 1 of their players instead of getting between the ball and the goal.

 

Unfortunately I think we are not learning our lessons well enough.

[underboyleheating]

Unfortunately I think we are not learning our lessons well enough.

A worrying trend that must surely be of concern to McCall and the current crop of players. I am not certain what the answer is, as it feels like various Motherwell managers and players throughout the years have suffered similar problems.

 

 

 

[Guest]

Ive been thinking something similar for a while. Its something which is both the greatest strength and weakness of the team. For all the togetherness, spirit and stability we've had through hammell, Lasley, Craigan and others, they always seem to fall through the same problems. That spine of the team has done, and probaboy will always fold against the old firm, on in pressure games.

 

The flip side is that we get consistency the rest of the time, which can't be underestimated. Might explain why we perform over a season but less so on the day.

[joewarkfanclub]

Fuck me! What a depressing thread!

 

Now for the happy clapper version.

 

The first 30 mins last night we were excellent. Totally in control of the game and should have been more than two up.

 

They break up the park, get a pen from a wicked bounce and we get a little nervy but see it out to half time.

 

Second half admittedly they had some good chances on the break but we were still in control of the game without having the same cutting edge we had in the first half.

 

As the game went on you could see our fitness levels dropping but its our first competitive game and they are well into their season. Christ, anyone who plays 5's should know the difference games make let alone the level they are playing at.

 

I think where we did get it wrong was the Kerr sub. I accept we have a small squad and options are limited, but we know he cant play right mid. He should have gone to right back and let Reid move forward.

 

Big Erwin looked decent when he came on and I would hope he will feature more as the season progresses.

 

We maybe should have shut up shop last night and took our 2-1 win but you cant criticise the players for showing the opposition too much respect and also have a go at them for trying to score a third goal in the dying minutes.

 

I thought Ramsden was having his shirt pulled as he fell to the ground, not sure it waa enough for a pen but having seen the highlights on youtube Im not sure their 2nd was either. You could argue the ball should have been cleared but it was still a harsh decision IMO.

 

I saw enough last night to think we are better than Stjarnan. Now we need to go to their patch and prove it.

 

If we can get into the next round and get those 1or 2 extra players in I think we can have another very good season.