Reflections On The Noughties

[steelboy]

since all the papers seem to be full of retrospectives of the past decade i thought i'd fire a thread up to discuss what's happened with the 'well in the past ten years. it's been an extremely eventful period with some big lows but at the same time a lot of highs. things were fairly bleak from Y2K until admin with a couple of unpopular managers, a chief executive who seemed determined to run the club into the ground and a ridiculous amount of journeyman signings. then we went into admin which at the time seemed like the end of the world but looking back you can see it was the best thing that could have happened to us. the butcher years were a great time to be 'well fan with a team you could get really get behind, lots of good young players and some brilliant results and occasions. the painful semi final defeat by celtic seemed to be the death kneel for that team and that was turned into a thousand deaths by the appointment of malpas who in his season in charge seemed to drive most fans to their wits end. from there it was onto mcghee and despite all the acrimony of his final few months the reinvigoration and joy he brought to the fans and players in his first season can't be denied. obviously everything that season was overshadowed by phil's death and while it was indescribably tragic a lot of comfort could be took from the way everyone rallied round. last season was a bit of damp squib but thankfully we had nancy which will go down as a woodstock for 'well fans, after so many years of waiting the experiences in the square and on the march were incredible. in the summer there we had our strange decampment to airdrie and three trips that will live in the memory of everyone that went on them. and now we're at what seems like a new beginning again and trying to find our way. a very eventful ten years by anyone's standards.

 

i'd say we've been quite fortunate with players as well having a nice mix of good pros, young players and guys with good ability. by my reckoning 13 players have made 100 appearances for us - smith, corrigan, craigan, reynolds, hammell, quinn, lasley, adams, leitch, foran, paterson, clarkson and mcdonald - and phil was very close to it as well. add in a legend like faddy and a fair number of guys who gave us great service or a bit of quality (marshall, partridge, elliott, porter, mccormack, hughes, ruddy).

 

player of the decade - a tough one but i'd go for corrigan. faddy probably made the biggest impression but i'd say no one contributed more than martyn.

 

game of the decade - motherwell 2 - celtic 1 from 2002. an amazing result when we were at a low ebb.

 

goals of the decade.

 

1. fitzy versus hearts in the semi - sparked absolute bedlam.

2. phil versus hearts - you'll never see a better volley.

3. mcdonald's first on skippy sunday. spared us the nightmare of seeing lennon lift the league trophy on the hallowed turf.

 

hopefully the next ten years will be just as exciting and enjoyable but a bit more stable.

[Stu]

Great idea for a thread!

 

I'll leave the detailed replies to the more hardcore of our support, but the game of the decade for me was on the 10th May 2008, defeating Aberdeen 2-1 to all but seal third place. Was just a great day, so much emotion, and the fireworks in the sky at the full time whistle too.

 

Obviously, the lowest moment of the decade was reading on teletext the news of Phil O'Donnell's death.

[biggayal0]

My personal highlight of the decade was stepping off the plane in France and the buzz of knowing I was fulfilling a dream of watching Motherwell play a competitive game on foreign soil the whole trip was unforgettable. Also went to Wales, outstanding as well.

 

The low was the passing of Uncle Phil, was at the game that day with my young son who was 6 at the time, will never forget it, knew at the time something bad had happened, went and stood outside at his funeral, hit home that he was roughly the same age as me and him having 4 kids while I have 3 made me appreciate what I have and I suppose how easily or suddenly that can all change.

[Motherwell Football Club]

2. phil versus hearts - you'll never see a better volley.

 

Except Jim Hamiltons

[Desp]

2 cracking volleys to be fair!

 

I don't know what it is about Phil's volley that makes me go for that. Maybe it was because it was on a warm summer's day, maybe because we won that day, or maybe it's just because Phil is no longer with us, but my memories of that goal are slightly better than Jim Hamilton's. I remember being in the Cooper the day of Phil's goal, and just standing there with my hands aloft for a good 30 secs after everyone had sat down again! A wonder strike!

 

Couple of games that haven't been mentioned as game of the decade. The 6-1 game against Hearts on a cold Wednesday night around 2002, and a 3-0 win down at Rugby Park when Killie ended up with 8 men (I think I just like that because I have a couple of mates who are Killie fans!)

[Mitch]

Highlights for me during the time were:

 

1. Semi Final at Easter Road. Don't think any well fan will forget that night. Would say it was the best day of my adult life supporting Motherwell FC.

2. The 'Well invasion of Nancy is something we will all talk about for years to come. Bucharest wasnt too bad either to be fair but the numbers in Nancy made it special.

3. The 3 great results against Celtic, Rangers and Hearts the season we finished bottom.

 

Lowlights

 

1. The passing of our captain Phil O'Donnell.

2. The day of administration and uncertainty for all us 'Well fans.

3. Maurice Malpas "era". Never seen so many 'Well fans fight with each other at matches.

 

We have seen some very good goals over the last 10 years also. The Jim Hamilton volley against Celtic springs to mind as the best of the bunch. Scored and played some cracking stuff when McGhee 1st took over just a pity that he has left such a bitter taste when he left.

 

We have avoided relegation over the last 10 years which is excellent. Need to continue to build and not accept 11th place every season.

[Welldaft Mk1]

My personal highlight of the decade was stepping off the plane in France and the buzz of knowing I was fulfilling a dream of watching Motherwell play a competitive game on foreign soil the whole trip was unforgettable. Also went to Wales, outstanding as well.

 

My highlight would have been the semi final against Hearts. The fact they had the cheek to play it at a neutral venue as Easter Rd was a disgrace. I think I was smiling for a week thereafter

 

For me though the Euro trips to Bucharest, Llanelli and more so seeing nearly 2500 fans in France supporting the team was fantastic. The only thing I sometimes wish for is that the team I support could get a few extra 000 fans through the gate and it can be depressing (especially recently) getting up to the PO stand to see so many empty seats throughout the home end. So to see so many fans travelling to France brought home how special the club is and the atmosphere during and after the game was immense

The obvious low was the untimely death of Uncle Phil, but the club and fans rallied round superbly and he will always be a legend - more so for his Scottish Cup goal and performances in C&A rather than his sad passing.

 

Whatever happens in the next decade this is still the best club (& most infuriating) in the world to support.

 

Maybe one day an Oligarach or Sheik will realise that they could win a league title and spend a fraction of what they are spending at Man City or Chelsea and the like.

[Shaka]

Been some journey. Personal Highlight has to be Nancy,waited so many years to see Well on foreign soil! By the time we got to the stadium I was up at the head of the march and as I turned round to see a sea of C+A pouring over that horrific bridge and into the distance behind them I welled up,so proud.

 

Apart from that, Fizzys goal in the semi was unreal tho the final was a total letdown. Seen some cracking players and unbelieveable goals and there were the lows of the Celtic Semi,the Rangers semi + of course Phil`s death

 

Certainlt a period I will never forget

[bigshinyhead]

Bucharest wasnt too bad either to be fair

**cough**

I seem to remember you had quite a smashing time in Bucharest

[Bert the Sailor]

Alot of my highs and lows already mentioned.

 

One of my personal highlights would be the last game of the season against Livingston after we had been spared the drop. There was a real sense from my perspective that the drop would've finished us off. My first season as a season ticket holder and it was a hell of a rollercoaster ride.

 

Such highs that season with results against Rangers and Celtic. But some hellish lows. But the atmosphere on the last day with the real sense of relief inside Fir Park and hope for the future. The Day was finished off with a romping win, with Faddy running riot.

 

For me that season tipified what supporting Motherwell is all about. Only experiencing the true lows of supporting your team will you truely appritiate the highs.

 

Well and Truely hooked for Life!

[MJC_MKI]

Top five highlights

 

1) Beating Hearts at Easter Road in the last minute of extra time after it looked for all the world like we'd thrown it away. That night summed up Motherwell FC in a nutshell and the celebrations at the winner and at the end were incredible.

 

2) Sunday 22nd May 2005. The day that Celtic were coming to Fir Park to win the league. Games against Celtic usually have a bit of edge to them but as many of their fans had bought tickets for the home ends ensuring a poisonous atmosphere. What a joy to behold to see it all ripped away from them with just a few minutes to go. It couldn't have happened to a better shower of arrogant c4nts. There's no team I enjoy beating more than Celtic and so to beat them and deny them the title like that was just something special.

 

3) Qualifying for Europe in 2008. Even the most optimistic of Motherwell fans couldn't have seen that one coming, especially after the way the previous season had ended. We played some terrific football on our day and although we were far from perfect and did look as though we might not make it as the season neared it's conclusion, we just kept on defying the odds and got there in the end.

 

4) Season 2004/2005 when we reached the CIS Cup Final, finished in the top six and of course stuck the knife right into Celtic's hearts and twisted it with brutal force on the final day of the season. Our football that season may not have been tremendous but we were exciting to watch and always looked like we could beat anyone - except Rangers - on our day.

 

5) James McFadden's performance against Celtic in September 2002 when he completely ripped them a new one. Joos Valgaeren never looked the same player again after the way Faddy tormented him that night.

 

 

Top five lows

 

1) Saturday 29th December 2007. The shock, the disbelief and despair at the sudden and untimely death of Phil O'Donnell during a match against Dundee Utd. Even now it still seems unbelieveable that this could happen.

 

2) The Malpas season. An absolutely awful, shambolic campaign under a gormless, clueless yet for some reason arrogant manager. Our results said a lot, but what made it worse was that the players played as if they didn't care and Malpas just leaned against the dugout every week as if he was waiting for a bus. Then there was his deploreable after match comments when he told us that he wanted to walk out after 75 minutes after Inverness had run out 4-1 winners at Fir Park, his "That's yer Donald Duck" after we were humped at Dunfermline late in the season to drag us right back into the mire and of course his "They can boo all they like, I'm going nowhere" rant after that despicable capitulation against St.Mirren at Fir Park in what would have been a relegation decider for us had Dunfermline not slipped up at Inverness. The worst Motherwell team and manager for the last twenty years, without a doubt.

 

3) The day we went into Admin when the club's future looked very bleak indeed considering the debt we had. It was just a horrible day and the uncertainty was frightening.

 

4) Losing 4-3 at home against Ayr Utd in the Scottish Cup in February 2000. We had our fair share of Cup exits to lower league sides over the last decade, but this one sticks out for the way we defended and the way we threw away 2-1 and 3-2 leads. This was a highly paid Motherwell side, with the likes of Goram, Spencer & Brannan etc and that was a sign that a lot of them were just in it for the money and nothing more.

 

5) The CIS Cup Final 2005. The run to the final was superb but the actual game was one of the biggest anti climaxes ever. Apart from not wearing Claret & Amber for no apparant reason, we just didn't look up for it right from the off and you knew as soon as Maurice Ross made it 1-0 to them inside the first few minutes that the game was over.

[steelboy]

top six away wins

 

celtic 0 - motherwell 1 - 40 trips to the old scum and we only managed one win . it was a belter though and it emptied parkhead in double quick time and got the knives out for strachan. great celebrations with free drinks for well fans in the sevenways afterwards as well.

 

hearts 0 - motherwell 1 - wins at tynecastle are always good but having a decent wedge on foran to score first at nine to one put a cherry on top. big marsh made a world class banksesque save as well.

 

hearts 1 - motherwell 2 - one nil down at half time and playing gash. heavy snow comes on at halftime and the 'well come out a different team and run over the top of the jambos.

 

kilmarnock 1 - motherwell 4 - the first game after we went into admin and the team came out firing. a great turn out of 'well fans and an indicator the club wasn't going to lie down and die.

 

hibs 0 - motherwell 2 - we looked and played like real madrid ripping the pish out of hibs for 90 minutes. congas, beach balls and a massive party in the motherwell end as well.

[decorator]

it always make's you so proud to see us in europe but the whole day down at manchester for the masters was something else.the patter given and taken is the way it should be but when owen coyle stroked in the first goal the mayhem that followed was up there with the winner against hertz in the semi

[Tweed]

Favourite games:

 

Beating Hearts in the semi final at Easter Road.

For the atmosphere and emotion our cup tie at Tynecastle was special too. I felt ill that day but made the effort to go and so glad I did.

Skippy Sunday was special

 

Worst games:

 

the day Phil died

Losing 4-1 to ICT and Dunfermline in the Malpas year

Numerous cup exits to fodder when the tournament seemed to be opening up

 

Favourite goals:

 

I love a team goal so Kerr v Celtic in the 4-4 game.

O'Donnell's volley

Forbes's goal at St Johnstone. There is nothing better than seeing someone shoot and know its going into the top bin before its half way there.

[Joeboy]

I know this might sound like a ridiculous thing to say, but the season we finished bottom was one of my most memorable seasons as a 'Well fan. Getting to the semi's that year was great, especially the Stranraer game, we got to see our own Faddy blossom into a fantastic player- his hat trick goal against Livi was quite something, and we managed to get our most recent victory against Rangers. However for those moments there was the 1 point from 33 twice in the season, if I remember correctly? And players like Vaughan, Sengewald, Cowan and Offiong. That season for me was what being a 'well fan is all about, as someone previously mentioned about the rollercoaster.

 

Other than that for me there are two moments that stick out from the noughties. Fitzpatrick's goal against Hearts is an obvious one. infact that game as a whole was a rollercoaster in itself. From Craggo's first well goal (in the right net anyway) to losing the two goal lead, to Clarkson's shocking miss in normal time at 2-2, to Butcher admitting afterwards that he subconsciously substituted all our penalty takers. Was able to hold my head aloft in school the next day amongst a sea of Sellick fans, and it provided me with my first cup final as a 'Well fan.

 

The other day that sticks out had the biggest contrast between good and bad ever. At the united game my cousin had pals up from Liverpool and Bolton who were begrudging paying however much it was to get in, when they could go to Anfield for a fiver more, and I was expecting them to turn up to a drab game after that statement, but I can safely say in my thirteen seasons of going to games, that's the best I've ever seen us play, but from that high to the worst low you'll ever experience.