Motherwell V Aberdeen 5/01/2025

[Kmcalpin]

Next up Aberdeen, who are looking for some help. Despite that, 3 points are a must for us.

[wellfan]

Another team on a bad run who can’t buy a win.

Welcome to Motherwell.

[Stuwell2]

Fear the worst after today, biggest problem is that I don’t see who we have on the bench that will improve the team playing the tactics we do. Need to change things up, players and tactics. 

[Spit_It_Out]

Aberdeen are utterly pish right now however Hibs came to Fir Park in honking form and see what happend.

Kettlewell will set up like Fergies Aberdeen are rocking into town.

[grizzlyg]

I ain't confident at all.  No Miller so hee haw creativity in midfield.  The league is getting tight so genuinely fear us getting dragged into relegation territory.  I am really losing faith with Kettlewell,  loves sound of his own voice but hee haw tactical awareness

[Spit_It_Out]

33 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

I ain't confident at all.  No Miller so hee haw creativity in midfield.  The league is getting tight so genuinely fear us getting dragged into relegation territory.  I am really losing faith with Kettlewell,  loves sound of his own voice but hee haw tactical awareness

I still don't know what his tactics are other than hoof the ball back to the opposing team and let them have as many goes as they want.

Our ball possession is shockingly bad and that comes down to whatever tactics they are told to do cause it's the same every week.

[Stuwell2]

3 minutes ago, Spit_It_Out said:

I still don't know what his tactics are……Our ball possession is shockingly bad and that comes down to whatever tactics they are told to do cause it's the same every week.

Not sure how the tactics - which I’m also struggling to work out and I’m hacked off with - effect a players ability to trap/hold the ball and make an accurate pass. Basic fundamentals of football that some of our team are struggling with. 

[mfc]

There is no tactics or style of play,it is literally punt the ball into the opposition half so it isn't anywhere near our goal and hope we capitalise on a mistake,it's stuff you see at boys club level.i thought we had seen it all at ross county,where we started with 3 centre half's,wing backs not getting forward,2 defensive midfielders and hoofing it up to stama but today was just as bad.kettlewell for whatever reason seems to make the game a lot harder than it needs to be,we essentially play in a league where there is 10 teams that are of a similar level,there really is no need for the over the top negative pish that's on offer from us.

[joewarkfanclub]

If SK is to be believed in his interviews, and I accept that could be up for debate, I dont think hoofball is the tactics.

He seemed genuinely frustrated tonight that we couldnt manage one incisive forward pass until the 81st minute.

That would suggest that the team just arent implementing the gameplan and are resorting to hoofball because they are under pressure.

Regardless of that, he is the one charged with control of team selection and tactics, so its still on him to find something that works.

He was dealt another body blow today with Miller and Stama being unavailable, but if Kaleta was in any way fit, he should have started the game instead of SOD as thats an unforced change that wasnt required after a decent performance in the last game.

Its things like that, that limit my sympathy for him in respect of the injuries he has had to deal with this season.

Just do the simple straight forward thing and dont overthink things.

1. Who do we have fit and available.

2. Whats the best formation to get all of those players playing to their maximum potential.

3. Go with that.

Aberdeen are very much rocking up under pressure but so were Hibs and to an extent Hearts today.

It very much depends on what cersion of Motherwell turns up that will decide this game, as neither Hibs not Hearts had to be very good to beat us.

[grizzlyg]

Mrs grizzly and I away for weekend tomorrow but I am making sure I am back in time to go to the game.   I must be bonkers but hopefully the right decision 

[Spit_It_Out]

The fact yesterday at half time we had no shots on goal,no corners against a team sitting second bottom of the league tells me a common theme on how we set up for games cause I swear that's the kinda stats I expect playing Celtic at Celtic park.

This has nothing to do with Injuries and such we had adequate players to actually play a system to have a go but it's the same old story.

Aberdeen are bottom on the table on form last five games is that a team we should set up like we did today or set up to have at least a go?Key word being at least.

[grizzlyg]

Watched highlights last night, I am still in shock with the SOD and OX double act!! What on earth were they thinking about!!

[wellsince75]

Aberdeen have been on a very poor run of games - that will come to an end some time soon.  Reasonable to expect that could be against us. 

Generally speaking they've been misfiring recently but they still have c60% of possession and 15-20 shots per game.  A mixture of poor finishing and poor defending has led to the poor run. 

If we are to take anything from the game we need to approach it the way we did against Dundee Utd . Aggression, pace and urgency from minute 1.  Sadly that's been the exception in terms of our approach rather than the rule but we need to have pace in the team to hit them hard on the counter attack. 

[Stuwell2]

59 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

Watched highlights last night, I am still in shock with the SOD and OX double act!! What on earth were they thinking about!!

Commentator said SOD had been unable to prevent the corner and they don’t mention it as a fuck up after the game so I rewound to check if any Motherwell player had possibly defected the initial cross, maybe it’s the angle but I’m sure it doesn’t come off of Wilson. 
Paton with his initial piss poor pass - one of many from him yesterday - is as much to blame in my view. 

[Kmcalpin]

1 hour ago, grizzlyg said:

Watched highlights last night, I am still in shock with the SOD and OX double act!! What on earth were they thinking about!!

That said, our defending both before and after the goal was very poor. Our habitual failings were again on show. An inability or unwillingness to prevent crosses; defending far too deeply and generosity in allowing opponents time and space well inside our box. Lennon Miller's presence would have made no difference whatsoever to these weaknesses. 

[joewarkfanclub]

6 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:

Commentator said SOD had been unable to prevent the corner and they don’t mention it as a fuck up after the game so I rewound to check if any Motherwell player had possibly defected the initial cross, maybe it’s the angle but I’m sure it doesn’t come off of Wilson. 
Paton with his initial piss poor pass - one of many from him yesterday - is as much to blame in my view. 

I didnt see any touch by a Motherwell player in real time. I couldnt believe SOD had tried to play the ball when he could have just let it go out, so I guess he felt it had come off someone. But it was such a rotten touch it was unbelievable as he wasnt under any pressure to play it.

Thought he had a poor game yesterday, but unsurprising as he hasnt played a lot of football recently.

[Stuwell2]

It’s a strange one, just noticed that Ox appears to applauded him for trying to keep the ball in as if he also thought it would be a corner, or is he just trying to be supportive of him because SOD fecked up? 

[SteelmaninOZ]

The gaffer 

 

[MJC]

We’re getting nothing again here.

0-2

[wellfan]

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow (Lanarkshire) and snow & ice (Aberdeenshire) for tomorrow. The weather will likely directly affect both the game in Motherwell and those travelling south from Aberdeen.

My prediction is P-P at the final hour before kickoff. 

[SteelmaninOZ]

Dan Casey says 

 

[joewarkfanclub]

11 minutes ago, wellfan said:

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow (Lanarkshire) and snow & ice (Aberdeenshire) for tomorrow. The weather will likely directly affect both the game in Motherwell and those travelling south from Aberdeen.

My prediction is P-P at the final hour before kickoff. 

Much as I want the game to be on tomorrow, that might not be the worst result for us as a club.

Gives a few more days recuperation going into the Killie game and then the Cup.

Possibility of getting Stama and Seddon fit would ease the pressure a little bit. Especially if we could re-arrange the bounce game for those others that need minutes due to coming back from injury.

Of course, none of the international breaks helped us in that regard so maybe just wishful thinking.

[0Neils40yarder]

1 hour ago, wellfan said:

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow (Lanarkshire) and snow & ice (Aberdeenshire) for tomorrow. The weather will likely directly affect both the game in Motherwell and those travelling south from Aberdeen.

My prediction is P-P at the final hour before kickoff. 

We played a game relatively recently at Ross County, where the travelling support were not considered 

[Kmcalpin]

24 minutes ago, 0Neils40yarder said:

We played a game relatively recently at Ross County, where the travelling support were not considered 

That's correct. That was a red warning, but tomorrow is only yellow. 

IF game is postponed, what's the bet that we will be ordered to play midweek before the cup game at Perth?

[wellfan]

57 minutes ago, 0Neils40yarder said:

We played a game relatively recently at Ross County, where the travelling support were not considered 

I know, I went to that game, unfortunately. 

33 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

That's correct. That was a red warning, but tomorrow is only yellow. 

IF game is postponed, what's the bet that we will be ordered to play midweek before the cup game at Perth?

Whatever happens, I can guarantee that it'll be a poor and inconsistent decision that does not consider either set of fans. This is the SPFL and SFA we're talking about here.