Hope Springs

For all Motherwell have been really poor, their peers from the premier league are doing just as badly, if not worse

Did they not try that with Usain Bolt? Don’t think that worked out too well…

I don’t think advertising a short term gig is going to attract a decent calibre of applicant so I agree, GazzyB, do it once and take due diligence to get it right

Congratulations, Steven Hammell. This is a fine appointment, in my opinion. No other candidate knows the club better, it’s aims, aspirations, needs, than a man who has served it for over two decades with pride, commitment , professional integrity and skill. He, for me, epitomises what a Motherwell manager should be - he’s articulate, has a clear sense of how all the different elements that make up the complexity of a football club need to work in harmony and pull in a mutually understood direction. He commands the professional respect of the players, the board and the fans as well as the wider community. He is immersed in Motherwell and has shown loyalty and passion in his service. He is measured and thoughtful and has under recognised talent. I wish him every success and think we could do no better.

Happy to learn that Ricki Lamie has signed up for two more years. He has more than earned it with his goals in the run in. As for the argument that he was the best of a poor defence, I would prefer to think of it as being a good player who would actually be better if the players around him were doing their job as well as him.

David’s points are well made : empirical, reasonable and not reliant on speculation. This season has been extraordinarily difficult for every club and, rather come on here and blithely call for someone to lose their job, as supporters we should be constructive in our criticism, exact in our contentions and take the facts and the context into consideration. There is too much hysterical and hyperbolic posting. If you don’t like the football then of course explain yourself but the facts remain: we have finished top six, still have a crack at Europe, are in a decent financial position in relative terms and have a club we are rightly proud of for all the right reasons. Nothing disastrous has befallen us and we should support the endeavours as best we can. Alexander has made mistakes but has in my opinion earned the right to rectify this.

Win or bust? I find the talk of sacking Alexander ridiculous. This season has seen all but 3 teams, Hearts and the Bigot Sisters, playing appalling, inconsistent football. Last season’s double cup winners in real difficulty, Hibs unable to score a goal and selling off their best assets, Aberdeen leaking defensively and not a standout team among them. Alexander has improved our fitness levels, developed a fighting spirit and bought in some decent talent that is still developing(Tierney, Slattery, Van Veen, Kelly for example) and made improvements in others - Lamie, Mugabi, Woolery. He has us in top 6 and has more than earned another transfer window. It’s time to get behind him and support the team which is, let’s remember, still in contention for Europe.

If the OF did manage to have themselves accepted into the English Premiership, who’s to say they would be successful. Plenty of big clubs in bigger cities than Glasgow are languishing in lower divisions. And the fans of the OF are just as likely to dwindle in that scenario, while a competitive, more open and winnable Scottish premier league might attract the younger generations in particular. Motherwell v Hibs for second or top spot and a European place might be a more interesting proposition than Rangers v Hull or Celtic v Middlesbrough for hee haw.

Glad to see the same line up in consecutive games. Also think it is a strong bench so assuming we will face a harder challenge thus week I’d like to think we have more ways to overcome the opposition should we have to

Celtic are far from invincible so why should we be defeatist about this or any OF match. With an aggressive game plan and positivity we are capable of generating the intensity to knock them out of their stride. We will never do that sitting off them or parking the bus. As long as we do not throw caution to the winds but remain combative and willing to fight for every ball then we can score against them, I’m sure. So I’m up for a 2-0 win to the mighty Well.

Under the lights; a wet pitch; the incentive to close the gap on our opponents and consolidate a place in the top half of the league; a strong urge to seek redemption for a totally indifferent previous outing: it all makes for an exciting match and, hopefully, an emphatic home win. Or does it? COYW, anyway!

A lot of factors have got us to where we are today - better and different recruitment, a shift in tactics and less naïveté during the game, and a resilience and physicality that means we are less willing to roll over like we did in the past. Today will see all of that tested more robustly than before but I feel modestly confident we can pass that test if we apply ourselves properly. Every game has seen a raising of our standards, and today it will require a significant but achievable lift. But we can do it - COYW!!

Stephen O’Donnell represented his country and his club tonight with industry, integrity and a considerable amount of skilful enterprise and as Motherwell supporters we should be proud of him. He is a far more complete player than Patterson and , in the face of a media groomed to fawn over every emerging Old Firm prospect, Stephen played much better defensively and at least equally well in attack than young Patterson did - and against considerably better opposition. Maybe some of his passing was wayward but he busted a gut for the team, got into some great positions and represented a genuine threat going forward. So well done the Motherwell captain!

Done. Best of luck. Found it interesting. Hope it lets you define what makes Motherwell F C a very special club. I remember visiting the Camp Nou and it’s display of photographs in the time of Franco and before, and how proud they were of its connection to the oppressed people of Barcelona. Look what globalisation has done there…and no Messi now because no money…

Time for Van Veen and, maybe, a look at Amaluzor too

As long as he can bleat his man and his form doesn’t dip he’ll do fine

Rock solid Steven O’Donnell. Always making himself available, passed with skill and accuracy and never gave away possession, and but for a superb Pickford save would have scored a technically excellent goal. Really proud of him and how well he represented Motherwell as well as Scotland.

It’s also a strong message to big Declan about earning the right to play. And if he’s picking it up, I’m sure other players are too. As for this game, the team showed last outing they can maintain focus and effort which should be enough to beat a very fragile and lacklustre Killie. 2-0 the Steelmen.

New faces versus a team not wanting injuries before a final: as long as we get in their faces we have a chance. 3-1 the mighty Well

No point in bickering over decisions and the tortuous processes of arriving at them. We just need to do our talking on the pitch - where it counts - and win these re-scheduled matches. Convincingly.

Sacking the manager isn’t the answer, at least not until he has something approaching his full squad to pick from and the excessive interruptions to our season have abated. However, we do need to sort out a few more goals and that will require a shift in tactics. Cole has disappointed; Long is just not committed; and the movement across the front is not good enough. We are too easy to defend against because we are not slick and don’t pull defences around. Maybe Hastie needs another chance?

That was the most abject performance of the season. Sluggish and nervous at the back; lacking guile, skill and drive in midfield; indifferent and without sharpness, grit or focus up front. We surrendered to a completely average team who only had to be mediocre to turn a game from being a goal down to a victory that was surrendered up long before the final whistle. And my optimism got the better of me regarding Lamie. He’ll never do

At Johnstone only play one style - rough ‘em up football. In that context Lanier will more than hold his own. I just hope we learned from the pace and movement that gave us the goal last time. We should be putting 3 away against this lot and starting a cup run in style.COYW!

I don’t agree that Celtic have better players all over the park. At least defensively we are more compact and robust. That is the platform we build on. Celtic need a result today more than we do and while that might spur them on to do better than Thursday night, if we can keep it tight that will build more pressure on them and work in our favour. They are seriously short in confidence. Not that I’m advocating sitting deep and letting them come on to us; rather, don’t go all out, expansive and try to slaughter them. Somewhere in between will do me. The important thing is to press them all over the pitch, run at their defence when the opportunity arrives and take our chances if they come. For the first time in a while I think we can hurt this lot but it is important we get that idea into their heads too. COYW!!

The worst senior pitch in Scotland, a horrible windy day and a new goalie: this is a game with mistakes and goals likely but I think our growing confidence should let us keep our noses in front. 3-1 the Well.