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Motherwell Vs Levante Discussion Thread


David
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Took 60 fucking minutes to realise that playing the ball into Higdon's feet, rather than up to his coupon, was far more productive. Law and Lasley had howlers in centre mid, when that happens you are always going to struggle, no matter who you are, and their performances set the tone.

 

Cummins had a good game, and I thought Hutch was decent up until the sending off. Murphy is far too timid out left, to feart to take guys on at times. Jonny Russell or Mackay-Steven would have rrun at that right back all night.

 

EDIT: Oh aye, and will some c**t not just take a fucking shot from outside the box!

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The only consolation is that by not reaching the Group Stages we do not have to play another 5 or 6 ties on a Thursday night with a squad that may struggle to compete in the upper half of the SPL, let alone play Europe/SPL for the best part of 2 months.

What do you base the fact we'll struggle in the top half of the SPL on? If it's tonight, then it seems a knee jerk reaction.

 

We didn't play as well as we can, granted. But to suggest that Dundee United or Hearts would have beaten Levante as some have suggested seems ridiculous to me, baseless. As you'd expect with a Spanish side, they kept the ball pretty well. Probably helped by having an extra man in midfield but also by better technique.

 

We had an off night but I suspect even at our best, we'd have struggled. As would any SPL side, I suspect including Celtic.

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Very..... Levante will be battling relegation this season.

 

 

As for the game, fucking dire! I love how we try and play posession football, but you need to in the end find a defence splitting ball. Moving it back and forward just to play it out wide for Murphy or Humphrey to try and get the ball in is not good football.

 

So they finish sixth in La Liga and draw their first game of the season against the team who won the Europa League last year...they must be unbelievably lucky.

 

Wake up call for our fans. Spanish football is a different world to the SPL. The result and performance was disappointing but it was far from unexpected.

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We dropped Craigan last year, our centre back for the last 10 years, why not with hammell?

 

 

Craggs was a guy who was getting on a bit, had a wee injury, his dad died and he lost the will/spirit/passion for playing football.

 

If you honestly think Hammell deserves to be dropped, then you are wrong.

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What do you base the fact we'll struggle in the top half of the SPL on? If it's tonight, then it seems a knee jerk reaction.

 

We didn't play as well as we can, granted. But to suggest that Dundee United or Hearts would have beaten Levante as some have suggested seems ridiculous to me, baseless. As you'd expect with a Spanish side, they kept the ball pretty well. Probably helped by having an extra man in midfield but also by better technique.

 

We had an off night but I suspect even at our best, we'd have struggled. As would any SPL side, I suspect including Celtic.

 

Spot on. You would think we had lost to a side from the second division in Scotland judging by the reaction on here. Clueless.

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Yip, garbage.

 

Without doubt the worst 'European' match ever at Fir Park and I include Nancy in that.

 

Mypa 47 was worse! They were dreadful, we were worse.

 

Llanelli 1st leg, wasn't at fir park, but also worse, although there were circumstances.

 

Anyway, we didn't play well tonight, didn't think they were world beaters, but too many of our guys had an off night.

 

If we'd played like we played v pana, we'd have given them a fright. Apart from 10 minutes before the 2nd goal it was a bit of a damp squib!

 

Can't wait for next Thursday....

:lol:

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"MOTM for either hutch or cummings tonight for me. Thought Hately done ok as well and kerr and mchugh actually looked like they gave a shit. Rest were pretty poor with Ojaama the most frustrating as he has yet to learn that there are another ten guys out there to help him and he doesnt have to do everything himself."

 

OK, I'll ask what everyone else is thinking ............ Were you actually at the game ??

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Mypa 47 was worse! They were dreadful, we were worse.

 

Llanelli 1st leg, wasn't at fir park, but also worse, although there were circumstances.

 

Anyway, we didn't play well tonight, didn't think they were world beaters, but too many of our guys had an off night.

 

If we'd played like we played v pana, we'd have given them a fright. Apart from 10 minutes before the 2nd goal it was a bit of a damp squib!

 

Can't wait for next Thursday....

:lol:

 

And Levante were brilliant tonight???

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So? They drew with Atlético? The year Hercules and Numancia got relegated they beat Barcelona in the first or second game.

 

Result doesn't disappoint me too much, the performance does though.

 

Ok I'm not going to waste my time debating with you. I'm as gutted about the performance as anyone and I don't think we played to our potential. But the gulf between La Liga and the SPL is huge. Anyone who dismisses that, shouldn't be allowed to watch football.

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Ok I'm not going to waste my time debating with you. I'm as gutted about the performance as anyone and I don't think we played to our potential. But the gulf between La Liga and the SPL is huge. Anyone who dismisses that, shouldn't be allowed to watch football.

 

Anyone who watched that game tonight and thinks Levante would be anything more than a reasonable top 6 SPL side, based on tonights game, should be sitting beside them watching something else then.

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Who said there isn't a gulf in class?

 

You are the one commenting on a club you have probably only seen once, and that was tonight. Levante are one of the clubs that is closer to our way of playing you will get in Spain, they have a few quality players, their main man in midfield being left at home due to Visa problems. Does not change the fact that Levante though are a below average Spanish side.

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I think we approach these games all wrong. Too much emphasis on the quality of who we're playing rather than the quality of our own team. It's the same against Celtic and (oldco) Rangers.

 

Needs to change.

 

Agree with this, McCall's build up to this game was wrong. To stress how much 'Well were underdogs despite having years of European experience compared to tonight's opponents must have set the team up to put on the crap performance that we witnessed.

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I think with the Panathinaikos game there was a definite feeling at the end of it that we had given it a good go, things hadn't gone our way but but for the most part we'd done ourselves justice. Whilst we've a similar scoreline tonight and I think it's the fact that I don't think we can say the same this time is what's most frustrating.

 

I thought there were patches of the game where we looked pretty decent but it was some way short of the level of performance a few weeks back.

 

I would have been happy with any result tonight where we hadn't conceded and we certainly looked like getting half way towards that before conceding before the break. Too far up the East Stand to offer a comment or whether it was or wasn't offside but as has been said already it's one of the first things you are taught when introduced to football is that you play to the whistle.

 

I thought we did fairly well in response to going behind in the early part of the second half and looked to be building up a wee bit of momentum with a couple of half chances created but as soon as they got the second it became very painful viewing.

 

We've got quite a few European games behind us now and whilst there will remain a wee bit of pride that we've faced a La Liga side at Fir Park its going to be a game that's way way down the list of memorable Motherwell matches in Europe.

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European teams will continue to beat Scottish teams as long as they can produce defenders who are big, strong but also mobile and midfielders who can control a ball.

 

It's all about what you're comparing it to. In Scotland, Hutchinson looks pretty quick for a big guy because you're seeing him on the same pitch as Tokely or Kenneth. Law's technique looks good when he's playing against Harkins or Goodwin. Levante may struggle against relegation but they're not playing against Kilmarnock, St Mirren or Inverness. If the best Scottish players would struggle against the best Spanish players, why would we expect a middling Scottish side to beat a middling Spanish side.

 

As to why that's the case, that's a larger debate altogether..

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Anyone who watched that game tonight and thinks Levante would be anything more than a reasonable top 6 SPL side, based on tonights game, should be sitting beside them watching something else then.

 

Haha I think that's all that needs to be said to that. Granted they weren't Barcelona but have a fucking word with yourself.

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Who said there isn't a gulf in class?

 

You are the one commenting on a club you have probably only seen once, and that was tonight. Levante are one of the clubs that is closer to our way of playing you will get in Spain, they have a few quality players, their main man in midfield being left at home due to Visa problems. Does not change the fact that Levante though are a below average Spanish side.

 

Somebody said that are of a similar level to Dundee Utd or Hearts. They're not. That's the first time I've seen them live, I've seen them on TV several times. They might not have a a stereotypical Spanish style but they are still an impressive side. To suggest otherwise is either naivety or stupidity.

 

Even if they are a below average side (which their results last season suggest they aren't) then that doesn't change the fact, that they should still comfortably beat a side like us.

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Somebody said that are of a similar level to Dundee Utd or Hearts. They're not. That's the first time I've seen them live, I've seen them on TV several times. They might not have a a stereotypical Spanish style but they are still an impressive side. To suggest otherwise is either naivety or stupidity.

 

Even if they are a below average side (which their results last season suggest they aren't) then that doesn't change the fact, that they should still comfortably beat a side like us.

 

I didn't say they were similar to Hearts or Dundee United, I said if we were playing them week in week out I could see them being a team we loose to one week and win the next, the same as we do with Hearts or Dundee United. It's not the same thing.

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