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Rickoza
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It's good we have a manager that goes to these lengths to communicate with the fans and explain decisions.

 

However one thing, you can point to the 'bigger picture' which is fine but when fans are paying £20+ to go to a game it's not about the 'bigger picture' it's about the match you just spent quite a lot of money to attend.

 

Three times in the last month or so we didn't show up. That's probably £80+ just for admission, never mind other costs.

 

Motherwell players aren't especially well paid compared to the top stars but I'm guessing they earn more than most of the support and in many cases £10's of thousands of pounds more.

 

I'm unemployed right now but I spent £60+ paying into Fir Park just last week alone. I don't expect miracles but I do expect the players to give decent effort and that's not happened on a number of occassions in the last few weeks. I know I am spending money I can't really afford right now to follow my team and I'm sure others are as well and I think its only right that we have expectations that the team will actually make an effort to win the match and against Rangers, Celtic and St. Johnstone they didn't show that will to win. So is it any wonder people get angry? I don't condone the behaviour of some of our support and I've spoke out against it on these forums. Some of them are just arseholes but I also understand why some supporters can lose the rag when they see players under performing.

 

So the bigger picture is pretty good but it is also true that three times fans shelled out to support the team in the past couple of weeks and they hardly saw the team make a pass or have a shot at goal.

 

Dougie Arnott said in one of the recent programmes that all Motherwell supporters wanted was to see players trying their hardest. I think this is generally true and certainly mirrors my feelings. Hopefully we will see better effort from the team in the coming month.

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Think the gaffer echo's what a lot have said on here. Unfortunately those who would disagree are entrenched in their views and unlikely to change. The only way forward is to drown out the boos with positive encouragement to show the players that are victims of this crap that that attitude isnt representative of the entire support. Lets get behind big Higdon from the off on Saturday and give him a desire to work harder for the cause. If he scores the winner it could turn his season around!

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So a mixed bag – the usual highs and lows. But if you step back and look at the bigger picture, it has been a fantastic start to the SPL season. If you will forgive me for taking the two defeats from the Old Firm out of it – from the other games against the teams in and around us, we have played seven, won five, drawn one and lost one; a great record in anyone's book.

 

 

 

Were those two games bounce games that the fans got into for free or were they supposed to be competitve football matches?

 

This is a good e-mail but I still don't like the approach he is taking to OF games. Nobody expects Motherwell to win the league but surely there must be an expectation that we can compete against this mob in one off games?

 

We have played nine, won five, drawn one and lost three. It is to easy to simply discount the games against the OF and if he wants to discount thse games then let us in for free.

 

This apart a good read and an insight into how the pro's think about tactics.

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Top class from McCall!

 

Anyone else watch Murphy, Higdon and McHugh running through a 10 minute shooting drill before the Dunfermline game? Anyone? When facing the goal with the ball near his feet Higdon hits either bottom corner at will. And you can't tell which corner he is going for til he hits it. Neither Murphy (worst of three but he has a lot to his game obviously) or McHugh were even close, with both selling their intentions, getting a few, and scuffing a few wide or into the side netting. That is why Higdon will end up top scorer despite being so outstandingly immobile. We should get behind him, if he was playing with another striker we might be a weaker team overall, but he would be scoring and creating plenty.

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Were those two games bounce games that the fans got into for free or were they supposed to be competitve football matches?

 

This is a good e-mail but I still don't like the approach he is taking to OF games. Nobody expects Motherwell to win the league but surely there must be an expectation that we can compete against this mob in one off games?

 

We have played nine, won five, drawn one and lost three. It is to easy to simply discount the games against the OF and if he wants to discount thse games then let us in for free.

 

This apart a good read and an insight into how the pro's think about tactics.

 

+1

 

That attitude pisses me off as well.

 

Again other than that, a good email well put.

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Were those two games bounce games that the fans got into for free or were they supposed to be competitve football matches?

 

This is a good e-mail but I still don't like the approach he is taking to OF games. Nobody expects Motherwell to win the league but surely there must be an expectation that we can compete against this mob in one off games?

 

We have played nine, won five, drawn one and lost three. It is to easy to simply discount the games against the OF and if he wants to discount thse games then let us in for free.

 

This apart a good read and an insight into how the pro's think about tactics.

 

I do agree with that.

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Were those two games bounce games that the fans got into for free or were they supposed to be competitve football matches?

 

This is a good e-mail but I still don't like the approach he is taking to OF games. Nobody expects Motherwell to win the league but surely there must be an expectation that we can compete against this mob in one off games?

 

We have played nine, won five, drawn one and lost three. It is to easy to simply discount the games against the OF and if he wants to discount thse games then let us in for free.

 

This apart a good read and an insight into how the pro's think about tactics.

It is easy to discount OF games due to the massive disparity in financial terms between the clubs. We are not operating on a level playing field in that respect so it's no reflection on anyone's ambition IMO. Whatever we get off them is a bonus at all times. I'll happily write them off all season if we keep a similar run going outwith those games. In truth we should all just boycott OF games anyway, waste of time apart from the odd one.

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Were those two games bounce games that the fans got into for free or were they supposed to be competitve football matches?

 

This is a good e-mail but I still don't like the approach he is taking to OF games. Nobody expects Motherwell to win the league but surely there must be an expectation that we can compete against this mob in one off games?

 

We have played nine, won five, drawn one and lost three. It is to easy to simply discount the games against the OF and if he wants to discount thse games then let us in for free.

 

This apart a good read and an insight into how the pro's think about tactics.

 

 

That is my opinion as well.

 

Yes, we are 3rd, we are beating the teams around us and I like Stuart McCall as our manager, however I hate his patter and tactics when we play either of those b8stards.

 

The Motherwell I love do not lie down to anyone, I don't care if the mould firm players get 2,3,4 or 5 times the wages our players get.

 

The mindset must be, OK, we are expected to be beaten, we have nothing to lose, let's play our game, let them worry about us.

 

3 points are 3 points. Whether it is against Inverness, Dunfermline, Rangers or Celtic.

 

Basically what he is saying, we discount these game against the bigots, that is 24 points down the swanee before a ball is kicked.

 

As I said in a previous post, will we get refunds on our season tickets for the games against them if they are to be discounted?

 

Didn't think so.

 

The hammerings we get off rangers are embarrassing and the games against celtic are going the same way, (apart from last February obviously).

 

Don't get me started on that cup final.

 

Report card says, well done Stu so far, but against the evil bigots, MUST DO BETTER.

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I don't think he's saying we'll just lose the old firm games and try the rest. Every single Motherwell manager up and down the years would have said we'll give it everthing but, being honest, anything we get from games against them is a bonus. And ALL SPL teams will have the same outlook. We've beaten better Old Firm teams than they are now down the years, but we've also lost to some honkers as well.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Good afternoon ‘Well fans,

 

 

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend after what was another excellent performance and victory at Easter Road yesterday. It marks the end of the first round of games and it’s fair to say that the players deserve every amount of credit going for how well they have performed; they are a joy to work with and a credit to the club.

 

 

However, I wanted to use this email as an opportunity to thank you; our fans. Do not underestimate your role in the progress we have made so far. In just about every game, you have sang, drummed and chanted your way through games and both the players and the coaching staff get a huge boost from it. Yesterday, all you could hear throughout the ninety minutes was constant singing, support and positivity and it’s little wonder the players go that extra yard. The support we are getting from you at this moment in time is certainly the best I’ve experienced in my ten months in charge and, from speaking to those at the club who have been here longer, the best in a long, long time.

 

 

Please keep it up! This is an exciting time to be a Motherwell fan. Not only are the players performing off it, we are creating our own revolution off it. I am thoroughly enjoying my time at Fir Park and the ethos of the place. The same goes for Kenny Black, Gordon Marshall and the other members of the coaching staff. It’s a special club and one that is very much on the up!

 

 

There is too much talk decrying Scottish Football. Too many tales of woe and prophets of doom. Commentators ought to have a good look at what is going on here at Motherwell and I don’t just mean on the park.

 

 

At the same time, you will have heard and read my interviews on the club website and in the press trying to temper expectations. Don’t see that as a lack of ambition on my part, purely trying to make sure people stay realistic. We have a relatively small budget in SPL terms, although I must pay tribute to the Board who managed to keep ours on a par with last season despite the economic difficulties we are all facing. Taking the budgetary restrictions we are under, and the choices we made in terms of squad size – quality over quantity – then we must stick to our target of top six and not get too far ahead of ourselves. Doing that will only lead to a fall.

 

 

That all said, and it’s an old cliché but in this instance, it is appropriate, we’re taking it one game at a time just now. Next up we face Kilmarnock at Fir Park and that’s going to be exceedingly difficult. They are an excellent footballing side, you need only look at how they played against Celtic yesterday, and we will need to be at our best to win the game. People ask me why we play better away than we do at Fir Park. It’s probably because of the mentality of the opposition club – having to come at us and leaving space for us to exploit – whereas at Fir Park clubs tend sit in and frustrate us (like Aberdeen for example).

 

 

However, with your help, we can do it. We need as many people to come along to Fir Park as possible this weekend and roar the boys on. We need to recreate the ‘away game’ atmosphere at home to help the boys do it. Get at your friends, get at your family and get at your colleagues. Tell them of the great things that are happening at Motherwell and who knows where we can go!

 

 

Thanks again for everything and all the best,

 

 

Stuart

 

 

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