Dundee United v Motherwell 22/02/2025

[GrahamH]

8 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

Aw to be fair you've have 900 funny posts thats not bad.

900 posts in 16 years with only 9 in the past year including todays. I think that qualifies as barely posting anything so not sure how you get a regular laugh from that. Each to their own though so I’ll leave it there.

[Big Wispy Flossy]

FWIW I also thought we played a bit better yesterday. However we still never created a clear cut chance and gave up a good few. Plenty of room for improvement.
To do so, we need to find a way to getting miller and slattery on the park for more than 25 minutes. Also, although there were positive signs from Armstrong for 45mins against Celtic nothing has stuck since. Plange looks a handful and should be worthy of more minutes in forthcoming games.

[FirParkCornerExile]

Just now, Big Wispy Flossy said:

FWIW I also thought we played a bit better yesterday. However we still never created a clear cut chance and gave up a good few. Plenty of room for improvement.
To do so, we need to find a way to getting miller and slattery on the park for more than 25 minutes. Also, although there were positive signs from Armstrong for 45mins against Celtic nothing has stuck since. Plange looks a handful and should be worthy of more minutes in forthcoming games.

Correct there was an improvement but still poor, its still a major worry when teams don't play that well against us but just need to get their noses in front and we are invariably beat.  

[Stuwell2]

I’ve never played the game at any decent level so don’t understand the full set up to a great degree but having been in positions of management in my career using what was staff were available to get things done (feck me that sounds like something from a CV) I get a lot of what folk are saying about SOD but to be fair to the guy he’s playing in a position that’s not his natural position, he is getting to the end of his career and as such he ain’t as mobile as he once was but I do believe that he is trying and I’m sure that if there was anyone else who the manager (and previous custodian of the role) thought was better then they wouldn’t have SOD in that position. 
I don’t know the guy but I do feel he gets a load of undeserved stick here and at games, yesterday for example, leaving him one on one with their top scorer was poor from the other defenders and as I’ve said previously, rest of the game he was no better or worse than most of the team.
Maybe folk should try to encourage him and the others during the games and leave their abuse for on here where it might not effect them. 

[FirParkCornerExile]

9 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:

I’ve never played the game at any decent level so don’t understand the full set up to a great degree but having been in positions of management in my career using what was staff were available to get things done (feck me that sounds like something from a CV) I get a lot of what folk are saying about SOD but to be fair to the guy he’s playing in a position that’s not his natural position, he is getting to the end of his career and as such he ain’t as mobile as he once was but I do believe that he is trying and I’m sure that if there was anyone else who the manager (and previous custodian of the role) thought was better then they wouldn’t have SOD in that position. 
I don’t know the guy but I do feel he gets a load of undeserved stick here and at games, yesterday for example, leaving him one on one with their top scorer was poor from the other defenders and as I’ve said previously, rest of the game he was no better or worse than most of the team.
Maybe folk should try to encourage him and the others during the games and leave their abuse for on here where it might not effect them. 

He deserves much of the criticism of late but we have players who are just as bad but they dont get as much as SOD does. He is an easy target. 

[Stuwell2]

17 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

He deserves much of the criticism of late but we have players who are just as bad but they dont get as much as SOD does. He is an easy target. 

I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve the criticism but who do we have that can do better in that position? If McGinn was fit SOD wouldn’t be there.
Of the others who have played there this season and are fit were they any better? 
We have a young central defender who’s 16 or 17 that SOD, McGinn and Halliday all spoke highly of at a Q&A if he can play that position then I’d be tempted to take a chance on him but if he’s not ready or it’s not his position then we’re stuck with SOD and all I’m saying is abusing him during games ain’t helping him, the team and ultimately us the supporters. 

[FirParkCornerExile]

5 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:

I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve the criticism but who do we have that can do better in that position? If McGinn was fit SOD wouldn’t be there.
Of the others who have played there this season and is fit were they any better? 
We have a young central defender who’s 16 or 17 that SOD, McGinn and Halliday all spoke highly of at a Q&A if he can play that position then I’d be tempted to take a chance on him but if he’s not ready or it’s not his position then we’re stuck with SOD and all I’m saying is abusing him during games ain’t helping him, the team and ultimately us the supporters. 

Abusing any player during a game is utterly pointless. Even though I'm a generally pessimistic and frustrated  when it comes to the dross we watch far too often, I never abuse any player during a game,  its not going to make them play any better. If you want to vent your spleen do it on here or other forums, that only upsets the happy clappies and I don't give two fucks about them 😁

[Stuwell2]

3 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

Abusing any player during a game is utterly pointless. Even though I'm a generally pessimistic and frustrated  when it comes to the dross we watch far too often I never abuse any player during a game,  its not going to make them play any better. 

I feel your frustration mate and agree with you, if only some others who feel the need to vent their frustration would just keep it in check or groan rather that shout at players. 

[FirParkCornerExile]

11 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:

I feel your frustration mate and agree with you, if only some others who feel the need to vent their frustration would just keep it in check or groan rather that shout at players. 

In all my years watching Motherwell I've never seen a player who was having a shocker who actually got better with fans berating them. There is zero evidence to suggest its anything other than destructive. Mind you if they ever see me with my head in my hands they will know how bad they are playing ... 😁

[Onthefringes]

1 hour ago, Big Wispy Flossy said:

FWIW I also thought we played a bit better yesterday. However we still never created a clear cut chance and gave up a good few. Plenty of room for improvement.
To do so, we need to find a way to getting miller and slattery on the park for more than 25 minutes. Also, although there were positive signs from Armstrong for 45mins against Celtic nothing has stuck since. Plange looks a handful and should be worthy of more minutes in forthcoming games.

Merit in what you say, just felt we asked Armstrong then Plange to do their best work with their backs to goal and fairly isolated.

Be interesting to see if our forward line get the rewards decent service would bring.

[AllyMax]

57 minutes ago, Stuwell2 said:

I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve the criticism but who do we have that can do better in that position? If McGinn was fit SOD wouldn’t be there.
Of the others who have played there this season and are fit were they any better? 
We have a young central defender who’s 16 or 17 that SOD, McGinn and Halliday all spoke highly of at a Q&A if he can play that position then I’d be tempted to take a chance on him but if he’s not ready or it’s not his position then we’re stuck with SOD and all I’m saying is abusing him during games ain’t helping him, the team and ultimately us the supporters. 

Absolutely this. The last time we had a good defense was McGinn- Butcher - Casey.

McGinn has organizational skills and bags of experience, Butcher was dominant and aggressive and Casey is just Casey. Aggressive but maybe not the best but he had two very experienced men with him.

The new manager has looked at what he had and decided that was the best he could put on the park at the time, as did the previous one.  If you think you could fix our defensive problems by dropping SOD you're borderline insane. Also, Dalby is one of the top scorers in the league, he's big, good in the air and dangerous. Should we not have had Gordon on him like a rash rather than a RB making do as a central defender ?

[mio]

43 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

In all my years watching Motherwell I've never seen a player who was having a shocker who actually got better with fans berating them. There is zero evidence to suggest its anything other than destructive. Mind you if they ever see me with my head in my hands they will know how bad they are playing ... 😁

Michael Higdon is the one that springs to mind? He got dogs abuse, gave a “get it up yi” sign to the fans and then went on a goal spree lol 

I feel for ODonnell, I think he’s an honest player and an honest guy and a player who has represented us really well since he signed but I think he’s done now …. I really do, it was like watching Joe wark when we got promoted in 1982 and was past it (not that I’m comparing football ability as Joe was 100 times the player SODs is/was) but I feel for him getting abuse as he’s not the one picking himself. 
I actually think he starts games reasonably well, he then makes a mistake (every week) and then caves. It’s an absolute confidence thing I’m sure and Wimmer will need to deal with that.

 

[Kmcalpin]

4 minutes ago, AllyMax said:

The new manager has looked at what he had and decided that was the best he could put on the park at the time, as did the previous one.  If you think you could fix our defensive problems by dropping SOD you're borderline insane. Also, Dalby is one of the top scorers in the league, he's big, good in the air and dangerous. Should we not have had Gordon on him like a rash rather than a RB making do as a central defender ?

I suspect that he was given advice by coaches on who to pick and in what positions.  Can't see him coming up with that line up independently in just a few days. SOD is not a central defender and never has been. Of late he's been costing us a goal per game.  I'm not especially impressed by Balmer but he's a better option, if played in the right position. Agree about covering Dalby.

I'm not pinning all our problems on SOD by the way, its just that this conversation is primarily about him. 

[texanwellfan]

5 hours ago, Richie said:

With regards to SOD I've not been shouting about him, but its noticable this season that his decision making has been poor - A confidence thing, I don't know?

There have been a catalogue of errors leading to goals.

Yesterday he's wrong side of Dalby, he needs to sort that and get closer/disrupt the header (without fouling/jersey pulling etc).

He seems more effective when hes either backs to the wall, or if he's being used in a more attacking sense as a WB/RB, although I think the issue he may face now is he's at an age where his legs are going.

He's a seasoned Pro and under Clarke's direction played well, so hopefully Wimmer can get him to click.

SOD was the right side, he got out jumped. (I just checked highlights) As someone stated yesterday we should have had Gordon or Casey  on that guy. Having said that, I agree that SOD is not the answer in a back 3 and is struggling

[stv]

3 hours ago, GrahamH said:

I barely post anything on here so how does that work?

You could be the silent partner 

[grizzlyg]

Was good seeing reception players and management got at full time. Only way we will get out of this is by sticking together.....COYW