Alexander.

[numpty]

We don't hear that much about Chris Lucketti's involvement in things, but fair play to him too... while GA was still trying to play it cool at the final whistle, it was kind of refreshing to see Chris going absolutely mental.

[Big Stall]

Going against the grain maybe but I thought we were atrocious in the first half the other night. The players didn't even look as though they wanted it. To me, the first half was a continuation of them same crap we have watched for the last 4 months.

Second half, credit where its due. We certainly improved, fought for the ball and were an attacking threat.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not convinced that GA can turn this around. Clearly his vision of football differs from what some/most of the fans want to see. He's obviously merited another crack at the whip next season but I can't say I am overly enthused about it. Put it this way, as bad as Barracloughs team were, man for man (in my mind) they would absolutely roast this current mob. We done Rangers 6-1 in the playoffs that year, that team would tear strips off of our current set up.

 

[Spiderpig]

4 minutes ago, Big Stall said:

Going against the grain maybe but I thought we were atrocious in the first half the other night. The players didn't even look as though they wanted it. To me, the first half was a continuation of them same crap we have watched for the last 4 months.

Second half, credit where its due. We certainly improved, fought for the ball and were an attacking threat.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not convinced that GA can turn this around. Clearly his vision of football differs from what some/most of the fans want to see. He's obviously merited another crack at the whip next season but I can't say I am overly enthused about it. Put it this way, as bad as Barracloughs team were, man for man (in my mind) they would absolutely roast this current mob. We done Rangers 6-1 in the playoffs that year, that team would tear strips off of our current set up.

 

The Rangers team in the playoff games is not a good example, as they were utter shite a school team would have given them a game, plus remember how bad we were under Barraclough that landed us in the playoff spot in the 1st place.

[bobbybingo]

1 hour ago, numpty said:

We don't hear that much about Chris Lucketti's involvement in things, but fair play to him too... while GA was still trying to play it cool at the final whistle, it was kind of refreshing to see Chris going absolutely mental.

I saw him in Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon. He got out his car and looked like he was going shopping. True story.

[David]

26 minutes ago, Big Stall said:

We done Rangers 6-1 in the playoffs that year, that team would tear strips off of our current set up.

The key difference, of course, is that while the team that done Rangers in the playoffs found themselves in the actual playoffs, this current team would be sitting 6th and not caring one jot about the playoffs at all.

[Big Stall]

1 hour ago, Spiderpig said:

The Rangers team in the playoff games is not a good example, as they were utter shite a school team would have given them a game, plus remember how bad we were under Barraclough that landed us in the playoff spot in the 1st place.

 

We are utter shite though. And yep thats the reason I picked that example. That team were so bad we ended up in the playoffs and then smashed Rangers.  All I'm saying is that we have regressed to such an extent that they would also destroy us.

A team with Pearson, McManus and McDonald through the spine, and Ainsworth and Johnson on the wings would totally destroy our current team if they showed up primed for the event. Carrol v on-form Lionel? Come on.

Skippy v Ojala?

Pearson and Las v Goss and Slattery?

Now line our current team up with McGhee's first season or McCalls superstars.  Its frightening to imagine the outcome.

Now of course we don't need to worry about it, we are finishing 4th or 5th but it just shows how poor not only Motherwell have got in a relatively short number of years, but the rest of the league as well.

 

 

 

 

 

[Welldaft Mk1]

1 hour ago, Big Stall said:

Going against the grain maybe but I thought we were atrocious in the first half the other night. The players didn't even look as though they wanted it. To me, the first half was a continuation of them same crap we have watched for the last 4 months.

Second half, credit where its due. We certainly improved, fought for the ball and were an attacking threat.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not convinced that GA can turn this around. Clearly his vision of football differs from what some/most of the fans want to see. He's obviously merited another crack at the whip next season but I can't say I am overly enthused about it. Put it this way, as bad as Barracloughs team were, man for man (in my mind) they would absolutely roast this current mob. We done Rangers 6-1 in the playoffs that year, that team would tear strips off of our current set up.

 

This is why I love this forum....well kind of.

"Not convinced GA can turn things around".  Turning around a season where we finished at worst 5th and qualified for Europe.  Genuinely laugh out loud moment !

Just as well Big Stall is not a fan of Hibs or Aberdeen !

Face facts - we cannot afford a team that can play like Man City and win games playing well all the time.

We could afford a team that could try to play more silky football and lose more.  Genuine Q - would that keep the fans onside.

I can see it now.  "We are in the play offs...but fair play to Alexander we are trying to play football". NOT in a month of Sundays. Not EVER ! 

 

[joewarkfanclub]

33 minutes ago, Welldaft Mk1 said:

This is why I love this forum....well kind of.

"Not convinced GA can turn things around".  Turning around a season where we finished at worst 5th and qualified for Europe.  Genuinely laugh out loud moment !

Just as well Big Stall is not a fan of Hibs or Aberdeen !

Face facts - we cannot afford a team that can play like Man City and win games playing well all the time.

We could afford a team that could try to play more silky football and lose more.  Genuine Q - would that keep the fans onside.

I can see it now.  "We are in the play offs...but fair play to Alexander we are trying to play football". NOT in a month of Sundays. Not EVER ! 

 

And that has been the connundrum all season....

[Spiderpig]

1 hour ago, Big Stall said:

 

Now of course we don't need to worry about it, we are finishing 4th or 5th but it just shows how poor not only Motherwell have got in a relatively short number of years, but the rest of the league as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes the standard outwith the top 3 is very poor but over the season as shite as we were the team picked up enough points at crucial times, Ibrox, St Mirren,  Livingston etc to keep us in the hunt for the top 6 and Europe while others failed and as the results from the last 2 games show we came good when it mattered.

1 game to go and we could still finish 4th which for me would be a great achievement considering how we have performed, so let's give  GA and the players some credit and hope we can build on this over the summer on the hopefully extended European tour .

[Big Stall]

59 minutes ago, Welldaft Mk1 said:

This is why I love this forum....well kind of.

"Not convinced GA can turn things around".  Turning around a season where we finished at worst 5th and qualified for Europe.  Genuinely laugh out loud moment !

Just as well Big Stall is not a fan of Hibs or Aberdeen !

Face facts - we cannot afford a team that can play like Man City and win games playing well all the time.

We could afford a team that could try to play more silky football and lose more.  Genuine Q - would that keep the fans onside.

I can see it now.  "We are in the play offs...but fair play to Alexander we are trying to play football". NOT in a month of Sundays. Not EVER ! 

 

If you pay attention you would know Im certainly not one of the usual boo boys that can't see any kind of silver lining with the club. Infact I am generally in the happy clapper club but regardless of league position which is to be applauded, not only has the football been brutal, but the points accumulation in the last 4 months has been relegation form.  By turning it around, this is what I mean.  We have regressed, either the other teams have worked us out or the players have half given up.  In my opinion, if GA sticks with the same formula next season it is going to get worse. 

Look at it this way, despite the benefits of finishing 4th or 5th with European football on the horizon, does anyone really see anything from the players and the manager to get excited about and think things are on an upward spiral for next season?

[Big Stall]

17 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

Yes the standard outwith the top 3 is very poor but over the season as shite as we were the team picked up enough points at crucial times, Ibrox, St Mirren,  Livingston etc to keep us in the hunt for the top 6 and Europe while others failed and as the results from the last 2 games show we came good when it mattered.

1 game to go and we could still finish 4th which for me would be a great achievement considering how we have performed, so let's give  GA and the players some credit and hope we can build on this over the summer on the hopefully extended European tour .

I agree with that but how good did we actually come? Does anyone think we really deserved that win over County? We beat a very understrength Hearts side in the 2nd half. First half they were miles better than us. 

We got the points and that is all that matters, but we can't pretend that it covers up the last 4 months. Even in those two games our flaws were there for everyone to see.

I don't want to sound like Steelboy and Yodo here but unless he has a big clear out in the summer and has some kind of footballing epithany, then i do think we will be battling the basement boys next season.

 

 

[andalg]

How long do you think any manager at Motherwell would last if we were flirting with relegation but getting beat 5-4 every week playing attacking football ?.  Like everything in life there is a happy medium.  Alexander has probably surpassed the targets set by the board for the season so deserves another go.   Even though at times the football on offer was rotten all we were crying out for was a couple of players in attacking positions with a little more quality.  Tony Watt was sorely missed for that little bit of magic we needed  We desperately  need to bring in quality rather than quantity in summer To be fair ast year was exceptional due to covid meaning a bigger squad than usual. 

[Kmcalpin]

40 minutes ago, Big Stall said:

Does anyone think we really deserved that win over County? We beat a very understrength Hearts side in the 2nd half. First half they were miles better than us. 

We got the points and that is all that matters, but we can't pretend that it covers up the last 4 months. Even in those two games our flaws were there for everyone to see.

I don't want to sound like Steelboy and Yodo here but unless he has a big clear out in the summer and has some kind of footballing epithany, then i do think we will be battling the basement boys next season.

County were lucky to beat us back in January - so maybe that evened things out. I agree about Wednesaday's game being one of 2 very different halves. Yes, Hearts were understrength but so were we, with others suffering from the Lurgy.

I agree there have been flaws in the past 4 months and these do need to be addressed, not swept under the carpet.

GA has certainly earned more time and I see this as being a transitional season. As others have said the next few months will be critical.  A chance for GA to assess his squad; have a mini clearout; and address evident weaknesses in the transfer market.  

[David]

1 hour ago, Big Stall said:

I don't want to sound like Steelboy and Yodo here but unless he has a big clear out in the summer and has some kind of footballing epithany, then i do think we will be battling the basement boys next season.

I'm fairly sure if we find ourselves in the basement come November or December there will be questions asked.

[ropy]

1 hour ago, Big Stall said:

I agree with that but how good did we actually come? Does anyone think we really deserved that win over County? We beat a very understrength Hearts side in the 2nd half. First half they were miles better than us. 

We got the points and that is all that matters, but we can't pretend that it covers up the last 4 months. Even in those two games our flaws were there for everyone to see.

I don't want to sound like Steelboy and Yodo here but unless he has a big clear out in the summer and has some kind of footballing epithany, then i do think we will be battling the basement boys next season.

 

 

There were other games during the season that we deserved more from too so I won’t fret over the. County and Hearts results.  The first game of the season we were outdone by a trailing arm in the box, not by anything Hibs did, could easily have earned a point.

[Spiderpig]

1 hour ago, Big Stall said:

I agree with that but how good did we actually come? Does anyone think we really deserved that win over County? We beat a very understrength Hearts side in the 2nd half. First half they were miles better than us. 

We got the points and that is all that matters, but we can't pretend that it covers up the last 4 months. Even in those two games our flaws were there for everyone to see.

I don't want to sound like Steelboy and Yodo here but unless he has a big clear out in the summer and has some kind of footballing epithany, then i do think we will be battling the basement boys next season.

 

 

I have a simple outlook on games, irrespective of how you play, if you score more goals than your opponent you deserve to win, nobody ever remembers how good or Bad a team played its the result they talk about.

If we go to Parkhead on Saturday and get battered for 89 mins play utter crap and then go up the park in the 90th min and sneak a winner not 1 Motherwell fan will give a feck.

I agree with you that a re-shuffle is required in the summer to strengthen the team but let's enjoy a successful season  and another year in the premiership.

[steelboy]

Our first half formation made it easy for Hearts to keep possesion. We were limited by who was available and creating a few good chances with Efford and Shields up top was relatively impressive. Van Veen playing the second 45 made a big difference to the game as well. 

In the summer we will be looking for quality over quantity so we should hopefully see an improvement in the standard of play.

[star sail]

This last page alone really shows how out of touch with reality some fans are about Motherwell true'place in the football food chain. 

It is a minor miracle that Motherwell finish 4th/5th in our league, end of story. 

It is a minor miracle that Motherwell have retained their top division status since the mid 80's. 

Baraclough took over a team that was heading for relegation when he took over in December and saved it from relegation, thumping one of the two biggest teams in the country 6-1. A superb achievement!! 

Ask Hibs fans, ask Aberdeen fans, ask Dundee Utd fans, ask Hearts fans what it really feels like to underachieve.

Alexander has saved us from relegation in  his first season, attained a top six finish (with European football) in his second. He has earned our backing. 

The notion that Motherwell have historically been a free flowing attractive  football team untill this season is complete make believe. What is not make believe is that for a small club, we have massively over achieved spanning the last 4 decades including this season. Cause for celebration and congratulations to every single board member, manager, player that has contributed to what should be a very proud history. 

Look at our European qualification record since the turn of the century. Something that many Scottish football fans can only dream of. We really need to enjoy these times. We will not always be so successful. 

 

[El Grew]

On 5/12/2022 at 4:14 PM, David said:

Maybe. There's certainly some characters on this forum who've not been as active since the full-time whistle last night as they would have been had we lost.

Name and shame.

[Welldaft Mk1]

20 hours ago, Big Stall said:

If you pay attention you would know Im certainly not one of the usual boo boys that can't see any kind of silver lining with the club. Infact I am generally in the happy clapper club but regardless of league position which is to be applauded, not only has the football been brutal, but the points accumulation in the last 4 months has been relegation form.  By turning it around, this is what I mean.  We have regressed, either the other teams have worked us out or the players have half given up.  In my opinion, if GA sticks with the same formula next season it is going to get worse. 

Look at it this way, despite the benefits of finishing 4th or 5th with European football on the horizon, does anyone really see anything from the players and the manager to get excited about and think things are on an upward spiral for next season?

And there we go again. An upward spiral from this season would be qualifying for the Europa League / Champions League or winning the League :-).

I accept the games have not been a lot of fun and we have played some god awful football these past few months. So I do understand where you are coming from.  I am also prepared to accept that Alexander has made mistakes. But as far as I can see he and the team got more right than wrong. That is all I can ask from a Motherwell team and Management. 

It was not that long ago we had 65% possession and double the shots on target and were losing 1-0 to Accies and United at home before Robinson resigned. 
 

 

[smiddy]

On 5/12/2022 at 4:14 PM, David said:

Maybe. There's certainly some characters on this forum who've not been as active since the full-time whistle last night as they would have been had we lost.

not me david           av been night shift 

[santheman]

On 5/13/2022 at 10:02 AM, bobbybingo said:

I saw him in Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon. He got out his car and looked like he was going shopping. True story.

See him there quite regularly.

Don't know if that's where he lives or not.

[sinjy]

On 5/13/2022 at 11:08 AM, Big Stall said:

 

We are utter shite though. And yep thats the reason I picked that example. That team were so bad we ended up in the playoffs and then smashed Rangers.  All I'm saying is that we have regressed to such an extent that they would also destroy us.

A team with Pearson, McManus and McDonald through the spine, and Ainsworth and Johnson on the wings would totally destroy our current team if they showed up primed for the event. Carrol v on-form Lionel? Come on.

Skippy v Ojala?

Pearson and Las v Goss and Slattery?

Now line our current team up with McGhee's first season or McCalls superstars.  Its frightening to imagine the outcome.

Now of course we don't need to worry about it, we are finishing 4th or 5th but it just shows how poor not only Motherwell have got in a relatively short number of years, but the rest of the league as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting that a team with Pearson, McManus and McDonald finished 11th yet this lot with the poorer players finished 5th. It might just be that Alexander is able to organise a team to get the very best out of his squad while Barraclough could not. We have come back countless times this season. Ibrox twice, St Mirren, away and home, Aberdeen and Morton in the cup, Livingston all spring to mind recently. This indicates the players are motivated and think positively. That might just be down to the manager.

[Yorkyred]

On 5/13/2022 at 11:08 AM, Big Stall said:

 

We are utter shite though. And yep thats the reason I picked that example. That team were so bad we ended up in the playoffs and then smashed Rangers.  All I'm saying is that we have regressed to such an extent that they would also destroy us.

A team with Pearson, McManus and McDonald through the spine, and Ainsworth and Johnson on the wings would totally destroy our current team if they showed up primed for the event. Carrol v on-form Lionel? Come on.

Skippy v Ojala?

Pearson and Las v Goss and Slattery?

Now line our current team up with McGhee's first season or McCalls superstars.  Its frightening to imagine the outcome.

Now of course we don't need to worry about it, we are finishing 4th or 5th but it just shows how poor not only Motherwell have got in a relatively short number of years, but the rest of the league as well.

 

 

 

 

 

I think “if they showed up” would be key. It’s easy to look back with a degree of rose tinted spectacles in my view. Skippy, Pearson, Ainsworth had technical ability but how often were you not aware they were even on the field ? They were incredibly inconsistent which is why we ended up in a play off against a truly dreadful Rangers team that this seasons team would also have beaten in my view.

[Great Balls of Shire]

On 5/15/2022 at 10:52 PM, sinjy said:

Interesting that a team with Pearson, McManus and McDonald finished 11th yet this lot with the poorer players finished 5th. It might just be that Alexander is able to organise a team to get the very best out of his squad while Barraclough could not. We have come back countless times this season. Ibrox twice, St Mirren, away and home, Aberdeen and Morton in the cup, Livingston all spring to mind recently. This indicates the players are motivated and think positively. That might just be down to the manager.

until the investment by les hutch, the baraclogh team was murder, were certs for the drop,  then bara was able to get a few loans on board , which made all the difference,  but still wasn't a great team .