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Pre Season?


Kmcalpin
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Hibs had a shorter pre season break than us and only played 2 friendlys before today, whilst we had played 4 times.

 

If they are ahead of us fitness wise then serious questions need to be asked.

Mark McGhee also made the same comment about us being off the pace at Cowdenbeath.

 

Why are these other teams ahead of us fitness wise?

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We've known all sumer that the league cup kicks off next weekend, yet McGee wants to be ready for the game on 6th of August?

 

We were played off the park by a much fitter Hibs team and we failed in all areas after the second minute.

 

It was a bit like watching England v Iceland in the respect that we didn't seem to have any strategy, shape, focus or game plan.

 

Then we started pumping long balls up to our forwards of McDonald and Ainsworth who were playing against six foot plus defenders.

 

If Hibs had taken some more of their chances and Samson hasn't made some crucial stops, we could have been right or nine goals down and that would not have flattered the opposition.

 

It was a calamitous display that was horrible to watch.

 

Hibs are geared up for a big game on Thursday so it's unsurprising they are fitter and sharper.

 

McGhee has indicated all along he's working towards the Kilmarnock game on 6th August and rightly so imo.

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One thing I expected from his previous repertoire was a lean, fit team emerging from the summer. While its far to early to say, there have been a number of concerns raised by many who have attended the games thus far.

I think we will see a leaner and fitter team. McGhee has said a few times that they won't be fully geared up until later in August. 'Fit enough' for the League Cup was the term he used I believe.

 

People still read far too much into friendlies. If we get papped out of the Cup group and have 2 points from 12 starting the league campaign, then we can start asking questions.

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At Easter Road yesterday we looked unfit and hopeless accross the whole team.

 

I don't know what Rangers team will feature against us, but on yesterday's performance we could get hammered.

 

I still don't get this argument of being fit for August, we play in a competitive domestic cup in Saturday.

 

I think we will see a leaner and fitter team. McGhee has said a few times that they won't be fully geared up until later in August. 'Fit enough' for the League Cup was the term he used I believe.

 

People still read far too much into friendlies. If we get papped out of the Cup group and have 2 points from 12 starting the league campaign, then we can start asking questions.

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The timing of the group stages is far from ideal, both Warburton and McGhee have suggested so. If we were to be fully up to speed for the Rangers game, it would likely have a detrimental effect on our overall season.

Other teams have already played competitive European qualifiers, not heard other managers bemoaning that.

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Of the Scottish teams that have played in Europe so far one scraped through having lost their away tie in Luxembourg and the other was booed off the park in their home leg having scraped by a team from Estonia. Though in fairness booing their own team just seems to be what Hearts fans do these days.

 

As Lobey_Dosser says, if the team is fully up to speed for a game in mid-July it'd have a knock on effect they'd be burned out by February and you'd probably start to see injuries pile up as the players would have had less recovery time from a season that ends in May.

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Yet Griezmann just played his seventieth game of the season last night.

 

Okay, so it is a different level of athlete, but our professional footballers are meant to be athletes none the less.

 

On the Easter Road showing, I'm certain many of the SPFL teams will be much fitter than us.

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Other teams have already played competitive European qualifiers, not heard other managers bemoaning that.

McCall bemoaned it, wrongly in my eyes. A European qualifier carries far more prestige and financial reward than a League cup group game, as I imagine will be reflected in the home crowd on Saturday.

 

If McGhee doesn't have us up to speed by August then he'll have a few questions to answer. It's not been an easy summer though losing our assistant manager and physio with little notice.

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If we get papped out of the Cup group and have 2 points from 12 starting the league campaign, then we can start asking questions.

That will be the acid test - our results against sides who should have had the same level and intensity of pre season preparation as ourselves. If all clubs are really aiming for a common target - the start of the league next month then we should be ok. If not.....

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Ayr United, a lesser team than Hibs, cuffed us 4-0 in pre-season in 2012. What followed that was the most enjoyable league campaign in my twenty years supporting Motherwell. For that reason, I refuse to get my knickers in a twist over fitness exercises.

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Ayr United, a lesser team than Hibs, cuffed us 4-0 in pre-season in 2012. What followed that was the most enjoyable league campaign in my twenty years supporting Motherwell. For that reason, I refuse to get my knickers in a twist over fitness exercises.

This.

 

Reactions in here :lol:

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If we have a bad start to the season Motherwell will get crucified for that cycling video. Folk won't be happy until they see players getting army boot camp training spewing at the side of the obstacle course, McGhee screaming obcenities in their ears.

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Yet Griezmann just played his seventieth game of the season last night.

 

Okay, so it is a different level of athlete, but our professional footballers are meant to be athletes none the less.

 

On the Easter Road showing, I'm certain many of the SPFL teams will be much fitter than us.

 

Entirely speculative on my part but is at all possible that the leaden and sluggish performances cited at many at Central Park and Easter Road have been not as a consequence of preparation being light but actually because it's been particularly heavy?

 

I mean for all I know McGhee could be running them into the ground in daily triple sessions and by the time they actually come to play they're goosed.

 

The guy has undertaken or presided over what must something like 35 or 40 pre-season campaigns. I could fully understand he has a programme in mind to get them to their optimum level with a particular game in mind (perhaps not necessarily the game some would like), I could understand that for whatever reason he might be forced take a squad into a new season below the standard he might like, but I would struggle to accept the notion that Mark McGhee would go into a campaign allowing a squad of players under his charge to be physically under prepared or unfit.

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We were six days away from a cup fixture on Sunday and we were so off the pace it was frightening.

 

Only Johnson and Thomas got pass marks in my eyes, you really had to be there to see how awful it was.

 

The match report on the club website angered me as it read like some propoganda piece and conveyed a match I don't actually believe was the one I watched, such was the bizarre claims that we put them under pressure as they planted three goals past us in forty minutes.

 

I have a lot of faith in Mark McGee, but Sunday was such a pitiful performance I'm actually concerned that we'll get pumped on Saturday and we'll hear more 'up to speed' narrative spouted.

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I've never been a fan of early starts to the season. I don't care who you are, it takes a certain amount of time to reach the acceptable level of fitness - at least in a way that ensures you aren't burned out by October.

 

My bigger concern is getting the back 4 working as a unit. Seems they haven't quite gelled yet.

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My bigger concern is getting the back 4 working as a unit. Seems they haven't quite gelled yet.

 

If only we had a born leader back there , you know , the type of guy who coaches and guides those beside him through matches :whistling:

 

 

We'll be fine when the real stuff starts , still 4 very winnable cup games before the league starts and we will do well in them im sure , if we dont i'll start to get concerned

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If we have a bad start to the season Motherwell will get crucified for that cycling video. Folk won't be happy until they see players getting army boot camp training spewing at the side of the obstacle course, McGhee screaming obcenities in their ears.

Even though that sort of thing got Jock Wallace nowhere after running the boys to ribbons on the dunes at Gullane. Whatever we do someone wont like it lol

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