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I have been bored with it if truth be told so I haven't been watching Bellshill away or Clyde away the week after is much more appealing to me

Couldn’t be arsed watching any of that club World Cup

Hopefully a few turn up for this , a very good cause Intending to go to the Bellshill game myself , back to the good stuff None of this club world cup nonsense

This coming Saturday 3pm ko at Rockburn Park...Motherwell have stated that it will be an under20s team that will be playing. Before the match, there will be a 7s tournament being held by the East Stand Motherwell group in support of Men's Mental Health charities...this begins at 10am and ends around 1.30pm.

Or alternatively its Clyde we are playing, 3 leagues below us who narrowly avoided relegation to the lowland league, we are much better than them so get in their faces from the kick off and we will win comfortably.

Here is it's attempt at the Clyde game Formation Motherwell should line up in a 4-2-3-1 to balance control and intensity. This gives two defensive midfielders shielding the back four and three attackers ahead. It suits Askou’s preferred style of “dynamic…aggressive” football with layers of playnews.stv.tv. The two holding mids will dictate possession (one likely Elliot Watt – a “highly skilled passer” who “covers ground well”motherwellfc.co.uk – alongside a box-to-box runner like Tom Sparrow). Ahead of them, an attacking trio (Callum Slattery centrally with wide runners) can stretch Clyde’s defense. The back four – O’Donnell at right, McGinn at left, with Gordon and Balmer centrally – provides width on overlaps and defensive solidity. Overall, 4-2-3-1 offers controlled buildup, high pressing, and multiple attacking outlets against the League Two side. Defense (4): RB Stephen O’Donnell; CBs Liam Gordon and Kofi Balmer; LB Paul McGinn. Midfield pivot (2): Elliot Watt (DM) and Tom Sparrow (DM). Attacking midfield (3): Callum Slattery (CAM) supporting as #10, with wingers Sam Nicholson (R) and Lukas Fadinger (L). Forward (1): Apostolos Stamatelopoulos leading the line. Starting XI GK: Aston Oxborough RB: Stephen O’Donnell (captain) CB: Liam Gordon CB: Kofi Balmer LB: Paul McGinn CDM: Elliot Wattmotherwellfc.co.uk CDM: Tom Sparrow RW: Sam Nicholson CAM: Callum Slattery LW: Lukas Fadinger ST: Apostolos Stamatelopoulos Watt and Jordan McGhee joined in summeren.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org; Watt’s arrival gives extra quality and width in midfieldmotherwellfc.co.uk. All listed players are under contract and fit; key contributors from last season (Oxborough, O’Donnell, Slattery, Nicholson, etc.) remain available. Tactical Overview Style of play: Under Askou, Motherwell will play high-intensity, aggressive football with multiple layersnews.stv.tv. In possession, the team will focus on controlling the game through midfield, using short passes and movement rather than only long balls. The double pivot (Watt/Sparrow) will dictate play and recycle possession, while the #10 (Slattery) provides creativity. Fullbacks O’Donnell and McGinn will push on to supply width and overload wide areas. Askou demands “aggressiveness, discipline [and] structure” from his sidenews.stv.tv, so Motherwell should maintain a compact shape without the ball and press Clyde intensely high up. Key tactics: The midfield should press collectively to deny Clyde time on the ball, reflecting Askou’s emphasis on intensitynews.stv.tv. Watt’s ability to cover ground and provide disciplined possessionmotherwellfc.co.uk makes him ideal for breaking up counters and transitioning play quickly. Up front, Nicholson and Fadinger will stretch the defense, allowing Stamatelopoulos to latch onto crosses and through balls. Set pieces will be important – Motherwell have tall, aerially strong defenders – so winning corners and free-kicks can produce goals as they did last year. In defense, the two holding mids must screen the back four to prevent Dunachie or Hilton (Clyde’s strikers) from running in behind. The back line will stay organized, and O’Donnell/McGinn will support the press by quickly advancing on Clyde’s wide players. Matchups & pressing: Key matchups include Watt and Sparrow against Clyde’s central midfielders, preventing the Bully Wee from building play. Out wide, O’Donnell’s one-vs-one battles vs. their left-sided forwards (e.g. Dunachie) will be critical. Motherwell should press up on Clyde’s half when possible – Askou wants the team to “take the initiative”news.stv.tv – but also stay compact enough to prevent quick counters from Hilton or Robbie Leitch. In short, Motherwell will look to dominate possession, probe openings through midfield, and suffocate Clyde with energetic pressing and quality distribution. Opposition Analysis Clyde (League Two) finished 7th last seasonmotherwellfc.co.uk under new manager Darren Young. Their attack revolves around former Well youth and lower-league scorers. Martin Rennie (10 goals in 2024-25) has left, so look for Motherwell youth graduate Logan Dunachie (7 goals in 24/25, now used as a strikermotherwellfc.co.uk) and new signing James Hilton (9 goals for Dumbarton last term) to lead the linemotherwellfc.co.uk. Midfielder Robbie Leitch (6 goals last year) also remains a threat from deeper. Clyde will likely line up in a narrow 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, attempting to attack quickly when they win the ball. The Bully Wee’s strengths are their forward runners and set-piece work. Motherwell must counter by denying service to Dunachie and Hilton – cutting out passes through the middle (using Watt/Sparrow’s pressure) and marking aggressively on the wings. Given Clyde’s lower-division physical style, Motherwell should use quick passing and width to unbalance them. In defense, compact lines and quick switches of play will counter Clyde’s pace. Neutralize their targets (track Dunachie’s movement in behind, crowd Hilton at crosses) and Motherwell should control the game. Clyde threats: Dunachie and Hilton (right footed runners) will attack space, so Watts’s coverage is vital. Dunachie’s pace means O’Donnell or Sparrow must close him down early. Leitch can shoot from distance, so midfielders need to close down any turning time. On set plays, Clyde’s physicality means Motherwell must stay alert. Overall, Motherwell should dictate tempo (as Askou demands) and punish Clyde on the break and from corners, which will nullify the lower-league side’s main threatsnews.stv.tv

Can you ask chatGPT to create a team selection for our first home game of the season and tactics to boot.

Now there's a great idea. We all do the same and post the results. That would be hilarious.

Totally agree, we should be thankful neither of the ugly sisters have a plastic pitch, then the SPFL would make it the required standard for every team.

Im all for football being played on grass. We used to have one of the worst grass pitches in the league and now its one of the best. So it can be done on a small budget. Like others have said, you have to prioritise. If standards are set it forces that decision on clubs, which is fine. But imho, there should also be standards for grass pitches. Ours used to be horrible during the winter months. St Johnstones was poor last year and other clubs have had dodgy grass pitches. The rules shouldnt just be applied to plastic if we are serious about improving standands......

Personally the injury to Calum Butcher shows as far as I'm concerned that professional football shouldn't be played on plastic pitches. Really unfair on the other teams who do have grass pitches as well. Apparently the reason that Livi have the plastic pitch is because of drainage issues at their stadium and because they don't have the finances to maintain a grass pitch.

Could also be just bloody awesome!

A quarter of the Premiership will now be played on dogshit astroturf, and we’re all just meant to pretend that’s acceptable? Fuck off. If you can’t grow grass in Scotland, you’ve no right playing professional football.

In truth, although I much prefer grass, I am not 100% against artificial if it is good quality and maintained properly. In Falkirk’s defence they have just about the best non grass surface I have seen and it plays true. The real crime has been the authorities ignoring sub standard surfaces which are a danger to players and also ruin games. Killie, Livi and Accies as prime examples. If Livi have been told to upgrade then it’s not before time. Hopefully the criteria change will be enforced. Time will tell. Anyway, back to former employees, I still hope SK crashes and burns no matter what surface his new charges end up playing on. His bring in as many new players, including crocks, policy appears to be in full flow. I give him until Christmas.

Almost certainly. Any appeal should be dismissed PDQ. Both clubs have known about this for some time and chosen to ignore it. In Livingston's case they said, when it was laid, that their current pitch was absolutely excellent. If thats the case why upgrade it? In Falkirks's case they chose to prioritise the playing squad over pitch improvements now the chickens are coming home to roost. Deja Vu in their case? Will this go to a vote, where other issues will be in the mix?

I've seen enough evidence in the UK and in the US (where there are many) to pass judgement.

I would imagine both they and Falkirk will look to challenge it. To be fair, I will wait until I see how the new pitches play this season before passing judgement. I agree that some of the grass pitches we played on over the last couple of seasons werent always the best. St Johnstone being the most obvious in the cup game and the following week.

I'm still cynical about the ban, but in Livi's case they were told by the SPFL after their playoff win that their old plastic did not meet Premiership standards and had to rip it up. Martindale said at that point it wasn't feasible to lay a grass pitch that would ready in time for the start of the season. That may be true, but I can see them using it as an excuse to extend its use.

We’re pleased to confirm that we’ll have a new artificial playing surface installed here at the Home of the Set Fare Arena ahead of the 2025/26 season. The club has been working hard behind the scenes over the last few weeks and months to put the planning in place and source the funds to make this possible. The new surface itself is the latest generation of MX Elite – a high-tech woven system offering the very best performance characteristics for professional football, the same currently used by a number of other sides at all levels of the SPFL. We’re hopeful that this will be completed and ready ahead of the Premier Sports Cup group stage matches starting in mid-July but should that change, we’ll update you all accordingly with any change of venue for those opening home ties. Our thanks to Sportex and for their assistance in getting to this stage and we look forward to starting the new season with a new surface in place. Seems a lot of expense to ditch it after one season. This cost will be part of the masterplan to cancel the requirement. And remember that Killie were meant to go grass this season, but opted out. And since season end there have already been meetings with the powers that be involving several 'plastic' clubs. Will the PL stand firm? Don't hold your breath.

I certainly hope Oxborough doesn't become one of those players that are "unlucky with injuries" because regardless of how you pick them up, it can kill a career.

I read recently that "the authorities" have brought in some pitch experts to consult with the artificial turf clubs to assist with the transition. So hopefully that means it's still on schedule. The cynic in me agrees with the others that there will be a delay or cancellation in the plans.

Hopefully the only injury we pick up before our first friendly pre season game.

Fuck sake,will we ever catch a break on the injury front.

Aw fuck. Hope Ward comes good. Hopefully not as bad an injury as they fear

I just put my name into chat gpt on here - they referred to me as friendly honest and a bit cheeky - a bit! Sacrilege. I'm clearly losing my touch