Motherwell Vs Stjarnan Fc

[SteelmaninOZ]

First time I have followed Motherwell abroad and went on the charter with my 2 sons and result aside, it was a well organised trip. Maybe not worth the £595 as you could have booked it for less yourself if you could have booked it in advance (if you wanted to fly from Glasgow), but got picked up from Fir Park, bused to the hotel, stayed in a top quality hotel as it turned out to be and was right in the centre of Reykjavick. On match day bused to the ground and then the full return journey back to FP. So no worrying about finding transport once you got there, getting a match ticket etc. We had a great time over there, going round the city and seeing somewhere different and having a few beers !! :-)

 

The Well fans were in great voice throughout and there was nobody really checking tickets so I would imagine that a few of the fans who couldn't get tickets managed to get into the stadium.

Atmosphere was great until towards the end when it became a little subdued and some of the fans started to get on the players backs. The fans rallied in extra time but to no avail.

 

Would I go with the charter again. Absolutely, unless it was somewhere I could get to cheaply from a local airport. Bugger flying from Manchester to Berlin and back via Berlin to Luton to save a few quid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What good would that achieve? I understand why people might want to have a go for under achieving/wrong tactics/poor decision making etc but I'm sure the players and McCall will be disappointed as well.

 

As it happens, at the airport on the way home, Hammell, McManus and a few others were taking the time to talk to supporters as we waited to board our flight.

 

 

 

 

The charter was mixed with a couple of younger kids up to folk in their 60's but I guess a few of them will happily use social media for keeping up to date with the goings on. After all, its a discussion outlet to get your thoughts and opinions out, even if others don't agree with them.

 

 

One the game itself, I thought was had some decent chances that we just didnt convert. But, still trying to be over clever at times and trying to take on 1 more man and loosing the ball, having that 1 extra pass when maybe a shot would have been a better option, tried some short corners that never really worked out. Over the 2 games, we scored 4 goals and conceded only 2 from open play, one of which was the 25 yard winner. Being rash in the box and sitting back on the 2-goal lead at FP hadnt helped. Anyway, just need to ensure Keith stays out of the box in the future :-)

 

Thanks for this and well said.

[Shaka]

I dont care how many were from open play or dodgy pens,we lost 5 goals to a Part-Time team, thats unforgiveable. And in the process,blew an easy £750k, Everyone from the manager to the first team squad should have the last 2 weeks wages docked and put into the Well Society for that abomination. And as for "Keef" aye I agree keep him out of our box,preferably on the bench until his fitness is somewhat comparable to that of a pro footballer, same happened last season and the one before,shite for 5 months then some big games in the last round of matches,how he got a 2 year deal is beyond me.

 

For me,and Ive never been a fan of him, but Id like to see McCall on his way now. Yes weve had great league finishes but considering the City clubs have been either rebuilding or completely imploding is finishing 2nd or 3rd with the calibre of players weve had really that remarkable?

 

A great achievement aye but weve now posted losses of what? £1m? during his managerial tenure. A tenure that has seen us shit it and gift a win to 3rd Div Rangers, 10 man (for 81 mins) Aberdeen,A penalty loss to a freefalling Hibs, plus Albion Rovers + Stjarnan, the 2 worst results in the Clubs 128 year history, Albion + Stjarnan alone would have netted us £1m if we had won. We are developing no youngsters, McCall only grudgingly plays one of our youngsters only if there is no-one else left,thats desparation,not development. He has handed out 2 year deals to 3 of the worst keepers i can ever remember us having,as well as 35yo Keef, and Bob McfuckingHugh and has instilled a culture of poor fitness and preparation.

Id fucking sell my kids for the chance to get paid £1k pw + bonuses, playing 1 football match, having sundays + wednesdays off and a working day the rest of the time of 2-3 hours. Added to 6 weeks off in the Summer where I didnt even have to bother keeping myself in any kind of fitness and getting a weeks paid lads holiday to the sun for my efforts. Id be a scratch golfer,Nandos afficionado and FIFA expert in no time. No wonder everyone at Fir Park loves their job!

[ColtnessDosser]

I dont care how many were from open play or dodgy pens,we lost 5 goals to a Part-Time team, thats unforgiveable. And in the process,blew an easy £750k, Everyone from the manager to the first team squad should have the last 2 weeks wages docked and put into the Well Society for that abomination. And as for "Keef" aye I agree keep him out of our box,preferably on the bench until his fitness is somewhat comparable to that of a pro footballer, same happened last season and the one before,shite for 5 months then some big games in the last round of matches,how he got a 2 year deal is beyond me.

 

For me,and Ive never been a fan of him, but Id like to see McCall on his way now. Yes weve had great league finishes but considering the City clubs have been either rebuilding or completely imploding is finishing 2nd or 3rd with the calibre of players weve had really that remarkable?

 

A great achievement aye but weve now posted losses of what? £1m? during his managerial tenure. A tenure that has seen us shit it and gift a win to 3rd Div Rangers, 10 man (for 81 mins) Aberdeen,A penalty loss to a freefalling Hibs, plus Albion Rovers + Stjarnan, the 2 worst results in the Clubs 128 year history, Albion + Stjarnan alone would have netted us £1m if we had won. We are developing no youngsters, McCall only grudgingly plays one of our youngsters only if there is no-one else left,thats desparation,not development. He has handed out 2 year deals to 3 of the worst keepers i can ever remember us having,as well as 35yo Keef, and Bob McfuckingHugh and has instilled a culture of poor fitness and preparation.

 

Id fucking sell my kids for the chance to get paid £1k pw + bonuses, playing 1 football match, having sundays + wednesdays off and a working day the rest of the time of 2-3 hours. Added to 6 weeks off in the Summer where I didnt even have to bother keeping myself in any kind of fitness and getting a weeks paid lads holiday to the sun for my efforts. Id be a scratch golfer,Nandos afficionado and FIFA expert in no time. No wonder everyone at Fir Park loves their job!

Exactly this!!! These people are in a comfort zone they need shaken out of!!

[Goggles & Flippers]

I with you on about 50% of that Shaka. I think what McCall brings would only fully be appreciated when he left unless we got Louis Van Gaal and I think he's got a gig.

[KMCAA]

lots of decent points shaka,

its hard for me to understand why people dont see captain America as a liability, even after the home leg I was speared for suggesting keef had a shocking game, also mentioned i hoped the Ref had sent him off for the second nalty, normally dont single out individuals but keef has cost the club anywhere between 350k and 700k due to the fact he is slow to react and indeed a dirty barstewart!. anyone else think McCall threw him upfront instead of bringing on a FORWARD and prayed he got the winner to divert the flack that was coming his way, a hero instead of a villian, lovely sentiment Stuart but total bollocks, that's Stuart been in charge for the worst two defeats in our history, he knew we were losing players, done very little to rectify it, tactics are sometimes baffling, he should offer to go as we cant afford to sack him, and it would be totally justified in my opinion!

 

on other issues

 

as for replacements, could look at Ian Murray or give Scott Leitch a run

and IMO i doubt our two keepers would have saved that shot if they were both in goals.

[Welldaft Mk1]

I am no happy clapper and I am still hurting big time over the missed opportunity and more so loss of revenue that playing Lech Poznan would bring. A hurt that will resurface over the next 2 Thursday's.

 

But anyone who feels that McCall has not more than delivered in his tenure needs their head checked.

 

The facts are that we have finished runners up in the league in the last 3 years on a player budget less than at least 4 or 5 sides that had a larger player budget.

 

The Cups have been (barring his first year where he guided us to a FINAL!) hugely disappointing and frustrating. Most of our good luck has come in the league, We were very fortunate to finish 2nd last year and win the final 3 games - games where 3 draws were probably the more deserving outcome.

 

The flip side is most of our bad luck has come in cups! YES I do acknowledge that we have been architects of our own downfall - due to complacency and all round poor defending/performances. Truth is we should have got a away with a draw v Albion rovers. Which in itself is not good enough. Those wanting Gunnar back to replace Dan - should remember his efforts at saving that shot! The 2 ties v Stjarnan - 3 penalties! I have watched all 3 and agree that I have seen many waved away for similar incidents. That tie was jinxed.

 

If we are going to criticise Mccall then some folks on here need to acknowledge that he has done a better job in (league) football than any of us had a right to accept. That buys him time in my book.

[Kmcalpin]

Two points.

 

Firstly Stuart McCall - I'm not the protesting outside Fir Park type, and don't want him sacked today. However given his contract is up for renewal at the end of the season I think we should wait to assess his performance this season, before offering him a new deal. Undoubtedly he's done well in the long haul of the league and credit to him for that. The flipside is that he's managed the team to some horrendous defeats in the various cup competitions, where his team selection and tactics were seriously flawed. One or two such defeats whilst not palatable could be accepted but not as many as he's been involved in. So overall his managerial performance has been a mixed bag for me.

 

Secondly Keith Lasley. I must admit to being gobsmacked by the reaction on the net to him. I've never been a big fan of his as some know well and could never quite get his cult status. His determination on the field and loyalty are beyond question in my book. A thoroughly decent guy. However he has always badly lacked pace and all too often in my book gone missing when we're under the cosh. Fans have questioned why our midfield disappeared when other teams attacked but failed to get that Keith was an integral part of that central midfield. A month or two back I questioned why he was being offered a 2 year at his age and was castigated for it. Others are now asking the same question. I'm surprised by how quickly some fans have turned on him. OK he performed poorly against Starnjan and his mistakes were critical but our problems ran far deeper than that. Any questions now about Keith Lasley should be directed at the management team. It may be his performance will improve short term as he gets fitter and hopefully it will.

 

 

 

[steelboy]

lasley was our player of the season last year by an absolute mile, i suspect he had other offers on the table which is why we had to offer him a two year deal. the midfield 4 mccall favours is unbalanced but it's not lasley who should be dropping out, law will put pressure on ainsworth and vigurs to up their work rate or lose their place.

[David]

The fan = the client

 

The players = the builders

 

The management = the architect

 

The match result = the building

 

If the building is fucked you go after the contractor and architect. Why is football different?

It's not quite the same to be honest. It's more akin to paying money to watch a movie at the cinema. If the movie turns out to be shite, do you complain to the cinema? Or do you go after the actors and director?

 

Or do you just put it down to a bad experience and hope that next time you visit the movie will be better?

 

What "the client" does have the option of doing is not spending more of their money with the club.

[Shaka]

As I said in my previous post McCall has done real well in the league but in context,weve had every big club in the country either implode or rebuild. At the same time weve had guys the calibre of Randolph,Hutch,McManus,Faddy,Law,Sutton, Higdon,Ojamaa,Hunphrey,Murphy so in reality finishing second is really only 1 place higher than we SHOULD be finishing at the moment.

 

Now we have Aberdeen & United looking stronger while we look like being weaker yet again,how do we finish 2nd or 3rd again? We need fitness, organisation,team spirit,a bit of quality, luck,to be well drilled esp defending set pieces, tactically astute & flexible, maybe some new ideas from management but the fact is we still have some quality,hopefully will carry the luck and McCall has bolstered 1 criteria (team spirit) at the expense of everything else!

 

We pay handsomely (ok not basic,but with bonuses added it is) for a team who yet again do not look fit, defend set pieces like a pub team, fail to capitalize on our own set pieces,make the same basic errors time and again and do not learn and are in the comfort zone of knowing what the team will be every week no matter what,but hey they have a great craic in Nandos every week so its all good.

 

What do we do in training every day (well the days we actually train) because evidently it isnt fitness work,basic technical skills,defending set pieces,attacking from set pieces or game planning

[underboyleheating]

What "the client" does have the option of doing is not spending more of their money with the club.

I mentioned earlier David and there is never a guarantee in football that the manager or players will rise to the occasion (unfortunately for us Stjarnan did). However, the Stjarnan game may make some people think twice about spending large amount of cash to watch Motherwell abroad. Some won't care about past performances and will still happily spend any amount to follow the team home or away.

[Yassin]

I agree we should wait and see how Mccall does this season before making a decision either way. He's done a great job so far, undeniably so,but this is a big year for him and he must adapt if we're not to slip back down the table. I've never been a massive fan of his but the club would be rightly castigated if we sacked him now.

[punk_in_drublic]

Ok Dave, don't you start as well - it was a very bad analogy. But so was yours, because knowing you, you'd illegally stream the film for free, watch it and then moan about how shite it was.

 

In all seriousness though, it'd be interesting to know what has been going on inside Fir Park over the last 2 - 3 days. I'm hoping some form of plan to bolster the squad is being applied,

[Goggles & Flippers]

It's not quite the same to be honest. It's more akin to paying money to watch a movie at the cinema. If the movie turns out to be shite, do you complain to the cinema? Or do you go after the actors and director?

 

Or do you just put it down to a bad experience and hope that next time you visit the movie will be better?

 

What "the client" does have the option of doing is not spending more of their money with the club.

 

Probably go onto imdb.com and slate it on an online forum

[David]

Ok Dave, don't you start as well - it was a very bad analogy. But so was yours, because knowing you, you'd illegally stream the film for free, watch it and then moan about how shite it was.

 

In all seriousness though, it'd be interesting to know what has been going on inside Fir Park over the last 2 - 3 days. I'm hoping some form of plan to bolster the squad is being applied,

You know how I roll!

 

But yeah, I imagine the players have been told in no uncertain terms that they weren't good enough, and I'm fairly sure that the management team will be looking at all available options for the coming season as well.

 

We'll just have to wait & see.

[Tweed]

Getting put out of cups by rubbish opposition is frustrating and you'd have thought by now we'd have learned.

 

My opinion on the latest debacle is:

 

1) We haven't played enough pre-season games.

 

2) We haven't replaced Hutchinson, Anier or McFadden. Result - no pace in defence, no pace or creativity up top.

 

3) Ainsworth is the only player in the team with any pace and he can't last ninety minutes against anyone which in turn means we need to put someone on who can't carry us up the pitch which in turn puts too much pressure on our defence.

 

4) Hammell and Lasley have started the last two seasons slowly, same appears to be happening again this year.

 

5) We are too one dimensional

 

6) Our goalkeeping problem hasn't been resolved by Twardzik

 

I'm sure in time we will be absolutely fine this year but we need to knock some belief into these guys in cup games. It is fast becoming a monkey on our back. Our last two attempts at knock out competition have probably been the worst two I can remember in 24 years watching Motherwell.

 

 

 

[JULIANTHELONDONCABBIE]

Tactically inept in Europe. Any team can finish 2nd in the SPL.

[Kmcalpin]

Ainsworth is the only player in the team with any pace and he can't last ninety minutes against anyone which in turn means we need to put someone on who can't carry us up the pitch which in turn puts too much pressure on our defence.

 

 

Good post with which many will agree.

 

I also agree about Ainsworth but why is this? Is he carrying a long term injury or is it something else? Odd.

 

 

 

 

 

[Yassin]

Tactically inept in Europe. Any team can finish 2nd in the SPL.

Then why don't they?

[the traveller]

So in summary we didn't : Sign the replacement players we knew we needed Learn at all from our scouting of the opposition Ensure our necessary levels of physical fitness were reached Have sufficient match practice Pick the correct team Use the correct tactics Have players in their correct position Make the proper substitutions Place the proper weight to the financial value of the game to the club Acknowledge the enormity of the result or appreciate properly those who travelled to it

All of this has happened before and was entirely preventable.So does anyone else have such a cv for their employment and has managed to retain it?

[Lord Tanamo]

Tactically inept in Europe. Any team can finish 2nd in the SPL.

Short, to the point and absolutely SPOT ON. - though personally I would replace "Europe" with 'all cup competition'.

[Shire Greats]

1406454022[/url]' post='417635']

lasley was our player of the season last year by an absolute mile, i suspect he had other offers on the table which is why we had to offer him a two year deal. the midfield 4 mccall favours is unbalanced but it's not lasley who should be dropping out, law will put pressure on ainsworth and vigurs to up their work rate or lose their place.

 

Is Carswell still going to be part of this midfield, I haven't seen him this year, but he doesn't offer enough in any of the midfield aspects IMO.His goal scoring record for a midfielder in SPL is very poor and when he does have a pop , the attempts are woeful.i know people will say he is a holding midfielder but Lasley kind of does that and even on a bad day Lasley is better.

Hopefully he will make me eat my words and come up with 10 goals this year, I don't like having a go at a young player but we need something different from the midfield

[Steve Diggle]

Is Carswell still going to be part of this midfield, I haven't seen him this year, but he doesn't offer enough in any of the midfield aspects IMO.His goal scoring record for a midfielder in SPL is very poor and when he does have a pop , the attempts are woeful.i know people will say he is a holding midfielder but Lasley kind of does that and even on a bad day Lasley is better.

Hopefully he will make me eat my words and come up with 10 goals this year, I don't like having a go at a young player but we need something different from the midfield

 

Really?

[MelvinBragg]

I don't know where to start with that post on Carswell. Lasley better even on a bad day? I like Lasley but his bad days can be ugly.

 

Carswell has a good engine and I think his reading of the game, for a young player, is pretty good. His passing is not like that of Vigurs but he generally finds a Motherwell player with the ball.

 

The likes of Leitch and Carswell are the future of our team, let's hope they both get a lot of game time this season...

[Noah Dosser]

Post re Carswell is somewhat off the mark.

 

He is not, and to the best of my knowledge never claimed to be, a creative goalscoring midfielder.

 

He is however an effective defensive/ holding midfielder who goes about his business quietly and with a good deal of energy and effort.

 

In short he is in the team to do a thankless, more often than not dirty, job and as a result goes under the radar when it comes to effectiveness and fans' appreciation.

 

Perhaps he will blossom more when Keef's appearances start to tail off as he starts feeling his age.