Motherwell v Rangers 31/10/2021

[steelboy]

The second half was a disaster but the first half did go well for 40 minutes and Watt missed an open goal for 2 nil. 

If Alexander keeps on picking SOD, McGinley and Goss he's going to be under pressure but if he sorts the selection he can turn this round. 

[Yodo]

4 hours ago, johnstone said:

 

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[Stevie73]

Tactically all wrong, allowed Them to much space all over the park but especially the wide areas, Davis and Arfield done more running and moving than our whole midfield.

Alexander has got to hold his hands up, far too many weak effortless performances. We need to stop the 4-3-3 as it 100% isn’t working.

[AllyMax]

7 minutes ago, bobbybingo said:

Motherwell manager Graham Alexander: "For 42 minutes the game went how we wanted to. We defended our half really well, had chances to score and did score. But the two goals just before half time. The first one was a world class finish. When they score from those sort of angles your hold your hands up.

"We're all very disappointed to say the least. There's a long way to go this season, we've done some good things, we have to learn what we can from that spell when the result was in the balance."

When you lose 6-1, talking about the result being 'in the balance' is not advisable.

For 42 mins they were still all over us, the difference was they didn't take any of their chances, so if 'how you wanted it to go' was camped in your own penalty box and breaking up the park 3 times in 42 mins, then he's right. It was going well.

 

[Spiderpig]

38 minutes ago, Mintymac said:

Just listened to Alex Neil there .Summed the game up perfectly and his analysis of the defending was spot on . 
Alexander have a wee listen to what he’s saying . 
Your football is boring and terrible to watch . Do us all a favour and go …… now 

  stop talking shite, re GA for 42 mins today we were comfortable,  lots of Rangers possession but Kelly never had a difficult save to make then we collapse.  Rangers are light years ahead of us quality wise so anything you get from those games is a bonus, a draw would have left us clear in 5th so some context is required, in fact if we had held out on Wednesday we would still be 5th on our own despite the shambles today.

So after 12 games we are 7th or as I prefer joint 5th with just under 50% of the points on offer, repeat that form for the next 2 sets of 12 games and it a safe top 6 finish with a challenge For a Euro spot.

So an absolute shambles today but some context is required, inwards and upwards.

 

[Yodo]

We have the worse midfield in the league by a mile Slattery ,Goss are dugshite one paced no skill lazy bastards . The summer signings are now showing they are terrible there is no skill in the team no pace and of course the manager persisting wae his shite tactics  and team selection has to take the blame . He said on the radio he thought we were excellent at times today ffs what game was he watching . Honestly don't know where we go from here and where the next win is coming from GA has to get the players he signed to show the fans why he brought them to Fir Park cause at the moment bar the two centre backs I would hunt the lot of them. 

[Ya Bezzer!]

Just now, AllyMax said:

For 42 mins they were still all over us, the difference was they didn't take any of their chances, so if 'how you wanted it to go' was camped in your own penalty box and breaking up the park 3 times in 42 mins, then he's right. It was going well.

 

There is an expression that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  Alexander inherited a sow's ear.

People forget we were genuine relegation candidates when he came in and he's turned us into a mid table side.  

Has it been pretty?  Certainly not but there is only so much you can do with the players we have.  The standard of the player in the squad has been very poor for a long, long time and you don't turn that round in one transfer window.

We have to play a certain style of football with the players we have.  We are never going to play football that's easy on the eye with what's available.  It's a totally different situation from when Robinson had class players on the sidelines and then brought them in.  Pretty much everyone, especially in midfield, is much of a muchness.  

Until we improve the quality of player at the club it's not going to be pretty but let's just all remember were we've come from.

And just for clarification there are definitely things I'd do differently from Alexander but overall I don't see a huge number of game changing options open to him.

Right now we are 9 points clear of the relegation place and we are equalling or bettering Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone's points tally.  Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water here.

[yosemite sam]

Another point is when Rangers got a corner, we had no out ball. Nobody up the park to make Rangers put players on them. Rangers could put every player they wanted in the box and if the ball was headed out, it could only go to a Rangers player. Rubbish.

[Yodo]

2 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

There is an expression that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  Alexander inherited a sow's ear.

People forget we were genuine relegation candidates when he came in and he's turned us into a mid table side.  

Has it been pretty?  Certainly not but there is only so much you can do with the players we have.  The standard of the player in the squad has been very poor for a long, long time and you don't turn that round in one transfer window.

We have to play a certain style of football with the players we have.  We are never going to play football that's easy on the eye with what's available.  It's a totally different situation from when Robinson had class players on the sidelines and then brought them in.  Pretty much everyone, especially in midfield, is much of a muchness.  

Until we improve the quality of player at the club it's not going to be pretty but let's just all remember were we've come from.

And just for clarification there are definitely things I'd do differently from Alexander but overall I don't see a huge number of game changing options open to him.

Right now we are 9 points clear of the relegation place and we are equalling or bettering Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone's points tally.  Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water here.

Eh SG is now playing his team his signings his tactics so nobody to blame bar him 

[smiddy]

7 minutes ago, Yodo said:

We have the worse midfield in the league by a mile Slattery ,Goss are dugshite one paced no skill lazy bastards . The summer signings are now showing they are terrible there is no skill in the team no pace and of course the manager persisting wae his shite tactics  and team selection has to take the blame . He said on the radio he thought we were excellent at times today ffs what game was he watching . Honestly don't know where we go from here and where the next win is coming from GA has to get the players he signed to show the fans why he brought them to Fir Park cause at the moment bar the two centre backs I would hunt the lot of them. 

nice to see your back yodo   ps  for what its worth i also thought we were dugshite

[Yodo]

1 minute ago, Yodo said:

Eh SG is now playing his team his signings his tactics so nobody to blame bar him 

Of course SG means GA I'm raging fingers all over the keyboard  LOL 

[smiddy]

6 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

There is an expression that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  Alexander inherited a sow's ear.

People forget we were genuine relegation candidates when he came in and he's turned us into a mid table side.  

Has it been pretty?  Certainly not but there is only so much you can do with the players we have.  The standard of the player in the squad has been very poor for a long, long time and you don't turn that round in one transfer window.

We have to play a certain style of football with the players we have.  We are never going to play football that's easy on the eye with what's available.  It's a totally different situation from when Robinson had class players on the sidelines and then brought them in.  Pretty much everyone, especially in midfield, is much of a muchness.  

Until we improve the quality of player at the club it's not going to be pretty but let's just all remember were we've come from.

And just for clarification there are definitely things I'd do differently from Alexander but overall I don't see a huge number of game changing options open to him.

Right now we are 9 points clear of the relegation place and we are equalling or bettering Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone's points tally.  Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water here.

heres another expresion " you cant polish a shite " the problem with that one is which of our first 11 do we try to polish first ???

[johnstone]

Getting pumped by Rangers is not the main worry for me. My concern is that against all the other teams in the league we have looked well off the pace and results have in the most flattered us. 
 

We need to be much sharper and quicker with the ball. 
 

The St Mirren game was the game that alarms bells started ringing for me, they looked so much better than as in all areas of the pitch. 
 

Needs to rethink the formation and the line up, much more pace is needed and also needs to set us up so there is more protection for the full backs.

[Coatsy]

4 minutes ago, Yodo said:

We have the worse midfield in the league by a mile Slattery ,Goss are dugshite one paced no skill lazy bastards . The summer signings are now showing they are terrible there is no skill in the team no pace and of course the manager persisting wae his shite tactics  and team selection has to take the blame . He said on the radio he thought we were excellent at times today ffs what game was he watching . Honestly don't know where we go from here and where the next win is coming from GA has to get the players he signed to show the fans why he brought them to Fir Park cause at the moment bar the two centre backs I would hunt the lot of them. 

As much as i agree with what you are saying, i just can't believe that these players are as bad as they look. I think they are being told to play in a certain way that they are not capable of playing. I think the coaching is what is lacking, just look how other teams we have played this year have been able to pass the ball around something that our players seem incapable of doing, we don't at the moment have any identity. In the first game of the season Van Veen looked world class could hold the ball up, flicks set others up, that's all disappeared. We don't have wingers passing players, or others that are capable of running with the ball. Slattery today actually had a we bit of skill beat a player in the middle of the park (only one mind you) . Our forwards today had to come into the middle of our half to get the ball. We leave no one forward at corners and this two man corners is a joke its never mixed up. As for long throw even I know Mugabi goes to the front post every time (it worked in the first few games but its like the corners never anything different). Hence i think the manager is caught in a frame of mind this is how we will play every week come hell or high water never mind what it looks like or if its affective. IMO he needs to find at least one other way to make this group of players into a team, switching players in and out is not working either. This is 100% our managers tactics, team and the buck will stop with him.

[SteelmaninOZ]

The gaffer said 

 

[Ya Bezzer!]

3 minutes ago, Yodo said:

Eh SG is now playing his team his signings his tactics so nobody to blame bar him 

Four of the team today were signed by Alexander and that's if you include Roberts.

And three of the four of them have hardly had any game time - Goss (4 starts), Solholm (3 starts), Roberts (2 starts).

There is still a major hang over lingering around this squad from the Robinson era.

[spudmfc]

17 minutes ago, yosemite sam said:

Another point is when Rangers got a corner, we had no out ball. Nobody up the park to make Rangers put players on them. Rangers could put every player they wanted in the box and if the ball was headed out, it could only go to a Rangers player. Rubbish.

Agreed..even 1 man up the park leaves our 10 against there 7 in the box

[Yodo]

2 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Four of the team today were signed by Alexander and that's if you include Roberts.

And three of the four of them have hardly had any game time - Goss (4 starts), Solholm (3 starts), Roberts (2 starts).

There is still a major hang over lingering around this squad from the Robinson era.

So what your saying is he's decided already that some of his signings are no good ,Goss won't get any better spent second half today playing in the left back area , Slattery slower than a week in the jail  Roberts offered nothing in his two starts . Look GA gets paid to get results his signings and tactics are letting him down  

[texanwellfan]

10 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

There is an expression that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  Alexander inherited a sow's ear.

People forget we were genuine relegation candidates when he came in and he's turned us into a mid table side.  

Has it been pretty?  Certainly not but there is only so much you can do with the players we have.  The standard of the player in the squad has been very poor for a long, long time and you don't turn that round in one transfer window.

We have to play a certain style of football with the players we have.  We are never going to play football that's easy on the eye with what's available.  It's a totally different situation from when Robinson had class players on the sidelines and then brought them in.  Pretty much everyone, especially in midfield, is much of a muchness.  

Until we improve the quality of player at the club it's not going to be pretty but let's just all remember were we've come from.

And just for clarification there are definitely things I'd do differently from Alexander but overall I don't see a huge number of game changing options open to him.

Right now we are 9 points clear of the relegation place and we are equalling or bettering Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone's points tally.  Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water here.

Or 5 points off the playoff spot. Yes we have to play a certain style with players we have but if you play 4-3-3 formation and don’t play the style of football to make that work you will get punished by the better teams. The worry is we may also get punished by the weaker teams second time around. Our recent run of games, for the most part, has been against the better teams so maybe we will see more points on the board once we start to play the teams below us.  If we are still in 6th or 7th after second round then I’d have to say GA has improved our standing and deserves the time to build a team that is more pleasing on the eye. First things first though he has to cement our position as not being relegation or play off candidates. 

[bobbybingo]

16 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Four of the team today were signed by Alexander and that's if you include Roberts.

And three of the four of them have hardly had any game time - Goss (4 starts), Solholm (3 starts), Roberts (2 starts).

There is still a major hang over lingering around this squad from the Robinson era.

I count 6 - Kelly, Solholm Johansen, Slattery, Goss, Roberts, Shields. Which of those aren't his signings? 

You also have to take into account the players he chose to keep here, rather than punt.

[Ya Bezzer!]

2 minutes ago, texanwellfan said:

Or 5 points off the playoff spot.

At a stage of the season when only 33 points have been available in total.  We are also only 6 points off a European place.

Alexander has to be given more time and I'm afraid we just have to hunker down and deal with the situation that the club was left in.  As you said you re-assess it after the 2nd round of matches are played.  

[Spiderpig]

2 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

At a stage of the season when only 33 points have been available in total.  We are also only 6 points off a European place.

Alexander has to be given more time and I'm afraid we just have to hunker down and deal with the situation that the club was left in.  As you said you re-assess it after the 2nd round of matches are played.  

Sensible posts like this have no place on this forum 

[wellsince75]

GA can take great credit for getting us on track last season and for the points tally this season.  We are broadly where we should be points and league position wise.

Equally he deserves criticism of his 4-3-3  eye bleeding poor quality footy , particularly when we lose or get humped.   

A thrashing has been coming. We allow too much possession in our final 1/3 and too many shots at goal. 

I'm not calling for the managers head but I'm incredibly frustrated that he persists with the same tactics/formation each week. I honestly believe we could do a lot better with our existing squad if only we move to a 3-5-2, 4-4-2,  4-4-1-1.    I don't see it changing though. 

[joewarkfanclub]

49 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

There is an expression that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  Alexander inherited a sow's ear.

People forget we were genuine relegation candidates when he came in and he's turned us into a mid table side.  

Has it been pretty?  Certainly not but there is only so much you can do with the players we have.  The standard of the player in the squad has been very poor for a long, long time and you don't turn that round in one transfer window.

We have to play a certain style of football with the players we have.  We are never going to play football that's easy on the eye with what's available.  It's a totally different situation from when Robinson had class players on the sidelines and then brought them in.  Pretty much everyone, especially in midfield, is much of a muchness.  

Until we improve the quality of player at the club it's not going to be pretty but let's just all remember were we've come from.

And just for clarification there are definitely things I'd do differently from Alexander but overall I don't see a huge number of game changing options open to him.

Right now we are 9 points clear of the relegation place and we are equalling or bettering Hibs, Aberdeen and St Johnstone's points tally.  Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water here.

I understand your point and agree with it up to a point. But Alexander did sign the majority of these players now, so the sows ear is his. Added to that, if we need to shitfest games, there are better ways of doing it than our current set up. How our front 3 keep going the way they do shows a lot of mental fortitude on their part. 

[Ya Bezzer!]

2 minutes ago, bobbybingo said:

I count 6 - Kelly, Solholm Johansen, Slattery, Goss, Roberts, Shields. Which of those aren't his signings? 

You also have to take into account the players he chose to keep here, rather than punt.

Kelly came in on loan previous to Alexander so he obviously wasn't an 'Alexander' target.  Likewise Roberts probably wasn't a Alexander target either.  Count them if you wish though.

Out of today's team Kelly, O'Donnell, Mugabi, McGinley, O'Hara, Watt all played previous to Alexander being manager so that's still more than half the team.

Then you have others 'senior' players in the squad like Lamie, Donnelly, Grimshaw, Carroll, etc. 

He picks the XI and the tactics of course but I think it's misguided to say this is an 'Alexander' team in terms of personnel.  And the idea that you can just get rid of players like it was a Football Manager games is rubbish.  It's not that easy to move contracted players on or bring players in.

I will say though that I think our transfer policy has been utter garbage but it goes way beyond the incumbent manager so I think it's unfair to blame Alexander for it.