Motherwell V Aberdeen 30/10/13

[SteelEdge]

What about 'Why was Faddy signed if he isn't fit enough to play?'

 

He hasn't been fit enough to play, regardless of time spent on the field, since day 1 of the season.

 

If we hadn't signed Faddy this place would've went into meltdown. I don't even want to think about it. It was bad enough when it was taking a couple of weeks for him to actually sign.

 

As for that tonight... an utter embarrassment. Disgusting.

[joewarkfanclub]

Some pretty damning posts so far which is understandable given the manner of the defeat and the fact we have been here before a number of times under the current manager. However, I thought tonights performance was a long way short of being our worst of the season against a very organised and resolute defence.

 

Despite a rather strange starting line up (no apparent right midfield?) we DID start the better side. We DID score a perfectly good goal that was disallowed. After the red card (which was entirely merited IMO) we dominated possession and controlled the game effectively for almost the entire 90 minutes limiting Aberdeen to the odd breakaway.

 

The substitution of Ainsworth for Lawson was the right one. You could be picky and suggest the manager should have made it before half time but hardly a shocker on his part leaving it until HT.

 

I actually thought the second half started brightly and some of the criticism of Ainsworths crosses is IMO off the mark. I counted at least 3/4 in that period that flashed across the 6 yard box that big Higdon would have despatched with ease. For some reason our current strikeforce dont seem able or willing to gamble on the run across the defender to put themselves in the position to score.

 

After that Aberdeen doubled up on Ainsworth and the balls out to him were too slow, so no surprise he found it difficult after that.

 

I dont think any of these things are particularly the managers fault once the players take to the pitch however.....

 

The game swung for me on the substitution of Anier who for me was our most influential player going forward. McHugh was just the wrong choice all day long. McFadden should have been given a run out at that point. Like others have said if he wasnt fit enough to throw on he shouldnt have been on the bench. This was only compounded by not having a last roll of the dice with a third substitution after gifting a poorly defended first goal.

 

Cant really argue with the second goal. Thats the risk you take throwing everyone forward at the end.

 

Overall a disappointing night which could and maybe should gave gone better.

 

The manager will however need to sit down and have a long hard think as to how he brings some balance to this team. I still think we have good players but the tactics are not getting anywhere near the best out of them.

[A Well Fan]

Taking Lawson off was probably the correct decision, given that we didn't need the protection, and Ainsworth was probably the right choice to bring on, to let him run at Aberdeen with his pace and take men on.....only he didn't. I lost track of the number of times that Ramsden would receive the ball and start running, only to find Ainsworth standing at the half way line waiting for him. I don't remember the last time that I saw a winger with such an aversion to venturing towards the bye line. As a result, the delivery into the box was predictable, and left Sutton feeding off scraps.

It got that bad that at one point Ramsden stood telling him to go forward. Yet the times he put good crosses in were the times he got forward and wide.

 

I'd also love to know if the team ever work on defending set pieces. Goals have continually been conceded from corners and free kicks for the last couple of seasons now and every time the opposition get a set piece you worry a goal's coming.

[Eddie Catflap]

Just in from pub after game so these comments are genuinely my own without any bandwagon jumping

 

Gunner Neilson - I attended my first Motherwell game 36 years ago and of all those years, and of all the shit goalies I have seen, this guy amazed me tonight. Shit afraid to even raise his arms for a cross, I truly hope he never plays for Motherwell again. A fud!

 

Zaine Francis fucking Angol - Jesus wept, not even good enough to be a one trick pony, totally talentless, I thought his performance against Hearts a few weeks ago was abysmal but tonight he plumbed new depths

 

Lasley, Hutchinson and McManus - pass marks for all three especially Lasley in the 20 minutes after their red card when he had the sense to try and stretch play by playing the ball side to side and stretching them. The same patient approach in the second half was lacking, due I'm guessing to the managers instructions

 

McHugh - We'd be as well bringing on Stephen Hawkins as this prick. And I doubt very much doubt he does shag the birds either , he'd probably be taking up position thirty yards from them. Wanker!.

 

Anier - Seems to be oblivious to the fact that if Sutton is going to win every knockdown, it might be worth playing near him - and i'm sure their's a bit of ginger in his hair.

 

Ainsworth - On the rare occasion he managed to put a cross in, he found it appropriate to blooter the ball as hard as he could 20 feet beyond the back post where no fucker ever stands - on loan from Rotherham so it figures

 

Subs (unused)

Faddy - is he fit or not, no one knows but I'm very suspicious his desire for playing football is gone. I don't honestly think McCall would have him on the bench if he wasn't capable of playing. My suspicion is that millionaire James could't give a fuck either way, therefore pay up his year and get him to fuck.

 

And lastly Hammill. Despite Aberdeen being down to ten men with a right sided player being sent off, he enjoyed his usual game of dinking the ball forward into folks chests and steadfastly refusing to get any further forward than 20 yards into the opposition box. Stealing a living.

 

Shocking, absolutely shocking, and also very depressing that we're going to have to put up with characters such as ZFA all season. As for the goalie, please never have him darken our door ever again!

[Shott Votson]

2 bad games in a row an its as if the apocalypse is coming. Grow the fuck up. We are the Well we like making it hard for ourselves but we always bounce back.

 

The good times are still here! Mon the Faddy!

['Wellfan 2k7]

What positives can be taken from that, eh? We dominate a game, with 60+% possession, plenty shots AND with a man advantage, yet we fail to score once and concede twice!

 

According to Flow, Sutton scored. Plain and simple. The linesman flagged AFTER Sutton had reached the east stand! (My Cooper seat provided the perfect view of this) This bit of incompetence by the referee turned the game so early for us. From then we got nothing- with the exception of The red card and Hutchy's let off. I counted 10 definite Aberdeen handballs in and around their box in the second half. Interestingly enough, one of which was Reynolds mimicking his 2007 red card at Dunfermline towards the end of the game.

 

McCalls tactics were negative from the get go. IMO he was playing for extra time. He was playing for fresh legs after 80minutes. Lawson's shambollic display in the first half meant his plans had to be brought forward. Ainsworth coming on at half time to rightly win MotM. Can't complain with his display, nothing worse than Humphrey's good games last year! McHugh came on for the wrong player. I think Sutton should have come off instead of Anier who had been our only real outlet from midfield. Aberdeen would pick balls out the air all night if they had to, but along the ground they would have struggled and I reckon we would have went on and at least taken it to extra time.

 

 

Neilson gives me the fear. Reminiscent of Buzz with his howlers. Tonight he never had any really, a good save towards the end. Still looks terrified to deal with corners, and is almost entirely at fault for the first. He needs to command the box, not just jump around and hope he stops the ball.

 

A good game for the neutral I suppose...

 

 

Anyone have an explanation for the loud bangs? Or the smoke coming from the South end of the POD?

[Yabba's Turd]

Goalie could have done better for the first goal.

We missed Vigurs' corners

[Haggischomper]

Jim Gannon would have changed things as soon as we were ah man up. Just saying.

[The Skipper]

Aberdeen are a better team than Motherwell right now. That's a fact we can't deny and I expect them to beat us or at least draw for the games we have left against them. Going down to ten men sometimes works for the other team as has been shown time and time again. Teams who can pass and have creativity in midfield or pace can exploit the space and take advantage of the extra man. We have none of those qualities in the team and therefore the result is not surprising.

 

They scored from a set piece and another when we were chasing the game. Oh and the comments from the Faddy sycophants is embarrassing. He is not the player he was and not even good enough to get in the team right now. If he is injured why is he even on the bench? If he is fit that speaks volumes for the Manager's opinion of his contributions lately.

[DonInPeace]

Morning guys.

 

 

 

Can't imagine how you all must be feeling. I'm not here to goad or anything like that at all, I tried to join before the game to say all the best and may the best team win etc....

 

 

 

I thought it was a very strange game, you came out the traps absolutely flying, we could not get out of our own half, and for some unknown reason, Shaughnessy's naivety and inexperience in getting a deserved red card seemed to confuse you, aimless crosses and wild long range efforts.

 

 

 

I thought it was an excellent atmosphere, a decent advert for Scottish Football. Don't be too downhearted fella's, over the past 6 or 7 years we have suffered some right humiliating defeats, but you soon forget them.

 

 

 

Motherwell have been a very consistent team over the years, have a good squad there and I am sure you will be top 3 this season.

 

 

 

Good luck for the rest of the season anyway. (And f*ck the old firm)

[Steve Diggle]

Was gonny leave it

 

But canny

 

I knew there were some sizzlers on here but holy fuck we've surpassed ourselves in the aftermath of this.

 

I'm sorry but when you read somebody saying "McCall's tactics were negative from the get go" you know you're not really dealing with reality.

 

There are some really fucking harsh comments directed at the players and manager after this that are some way past acceptable. At least I know we can count out most of steelmenonline come the fuckin revolution.

 

Gutting - most definitely. Frustrating - off the scale. Justification for a complete assassination of the team - no quite.

 

No one could say we didn't come out the traps a different team from Sunday. We fuckin pummelled them first 10 - 15 nothing negative in the approach and apart from the goal we appear to have scored all we needed was a break. Shaunnessy deserved to go for a shocker and on that the game turned. They basically set themselves up in two banks of four and soaked it up. Classic tactics when down to 10 and negates the man disadvantage.

 

Course it's gutting, we tried to get forward, break them down for the entire game after.?It didn't come off. We made bad decisions, we ended up frustrated, throwing the ball forward from too deep etc. we didn't pull it off.

 

However, lashing out with the sort of shite we see here isn't gonna drive us to success on Sunday. Well just get at players and put them under pressure to make even more mistakes.

 

We have no divine right to win, even against 10 men who defend like fuck.

 

Time to pull together, no rip ourselves apart.

[Andy_P]

Seemed like one of those midweek games where it might be best to sleep on it a bit before posting. Hasn't worked. Still fuckin' scunnered! I'm sure we're not alone but at times it does feel our team go to extraordinary lengths of finding new ways of losing games and booting you in the baws.

 

I haven't yet read earlier posts in the thread, I'm fairly sure that'll contain plenty of Told You So's from MJC or Steelboy's First Division players war cries. I'll leave that for later when I've more of a stomach. For now I'll just get my own whining out of my system....

 

I thought we started well. Exactly the intensity you would have hoped for. Fucked right in about them and swarming all over them. Great.

 

The disallowed goal was odd. Seemed obvious that there was an infringement but it was a quite seconds after our players were celebrating before it was called back. No obvious gesture from the linesman that there was anything wrong, but then he didn't return upfield to re-start play either. It hen it gave the impression of a reaction only after the Aberdeen players starting greetin'.

 

The red card seemed a fair call given the lunge, although I will say it seemed to me ZFA hadn't properly controlled the ball leaving it open to be contested and I don't think it did any harm that the incident took place right in front of the East Stand.

 

For whatever reason after that we just never regained any of that early intensity and the not unreasonable plan of playing possession football to play around them and tire them, very quickly became a plan of playing possession because quite frankly we don't know how the fuck to break them down. That in turn morphed into the deep punt into the box.

 

I thought Lawson was at times a few unneccesary touches too many in the first half and the move to bring on Ainsworth a sound call, but actually he was one of the few actually prepared to shoot. Albeit high wide and handsome pretty much every effort.

 

Ironically this was Vigurs game for me. When you needed someone who was happy to shoot from wherever. A greedy bastard not afraid to take people on and who could benefit from the extra man advantage, when others are happy to lump it or pass it and wave responsibility.

 

It also made the non-appearance of McFadden for the last 10 minutes all the more bizarre too. If he wasn't fit enough to contribute then surely Craig Moore should have been on the bench instead?

 

The warning signs were there all night for their goal. Whilst we were camped in their half we rarely threatened yet on the rare occasions they broke they were a threat because they had pace and drive about them.

 

Just so very very disappointing.

[ONeils40yarder]

Was going to post on here last night but decided against it, as it would have been a truly depressing post.

 

In the cold light of day this morning, I've calmed down a fair bit. How many times do you see a team going down to 10-men and shutting up shop? It happens all the time, and it was that blatant last night that when Shaugnessy was sent-off I turned to my mates and said that we'd draw 0-0 and get beat on penalties.....not for the first time in recent years, Aberdeen came to Fir Park and strung 5-men along their backline. The red card was more of a hindrance than a help, as we dominated the opening 10-15mins, while Aberdeen couldnt get out their half, added to this, Shaugnessy is fucking murder and I'd have preferred him to stay on.

 

On the other hand though, our lack of creativity, a plan B, or any real attacking thought process was embarassing. It was a strange formation to start with - nobody playing right-midfield while we had 3 central-mids who arent exactly blessed with goal-scoring prowess, or even the nack of creating goals. I'm also fairly certain that Lawson had himself for 1st goalscorer with all those woeful long-rangers. At half-time, we knew Ainsworth was coming on, but was unsure whether he'd take Lawson or ZFA off and play Ainsworth either wide-right or in behind the strikers, as it transpired McCall decided to go for a more conventional 4-4-2 with a 'winger' on each side of Carswell and Lasley. He could have taken both of them off to be fair because they were both having howlers.......I've said it before but ZFA is just awful, he has no awareness of what he is meant to be doing what-so-ever (which in fairness may not be his fault as I believe he is a natural left-back), his 1st touch is pish and he just looks completely out his depth.

 

I thought Ainsworth started the 2nd half really well, got to the byline (aye he did) on a couple of occasions and flashed the ball right along the six-yard line, only for the big lump of wood and his estonian pal to watch from around the penalty spot - he then reverted to launching the ball into the box like everybody else in the team. On the strikers, yes Anier puts in plenty of effort and has one or two nice touches but how many times was he close enough to Sutton to link up from any of the times the lump of wood managed to get the better of Anderson? Not very many. As for the lump of wood himself? He had a difficult night against a back-5, but I'd like to know the percentage of the match-time that he actually spends on his arse and how many times over the course of play that he actually uses his feet.

 

As the match wore on, it was becoming more and more apparent that we had run out of ideas. Now, I can understand the swapping of Anier for McHugh - Anier had run about like a headless chicken for an hour and hadnt produced much, he also looked tired - whatever we think of McHugh, he has had the habit of scoring from the bench and in terms of pure seniority he is next in line to play up front after Sutton and Anier, lets not build young Moore into the next 'great white hope', as we done with McHugh in the past. What baffles me though is the non-introduction of McFadden at any point in a game where it was obvious we had no creativity - he could have sacrificed Hamell, gone 3 at the back and played Faddy in behind the strikers with ZFA and Ainsworth either side or he could have done the obvious and hauled ZFA off, like-for-like. Either Faddy was fit or he wasnt, and if he wasnt then he shouldnt have been considered for the bench and if he was then he should have been utilised at some stage of the match.

 

I'd need to see the goal again, but for me a header in the 6-yard box from a corner to be unchallenged by the goalkeeper is criminal, for all the stick Hollis has taken since Randolph left and the constant shouts for Gunnar to takeover, it seems to me that the Faroese isnt any better.

 

This was a real chance for us to lift some silverware for the 1st time in a generation and when you look at the teams in the draw its enough to make you greet.

 

On a side note, Simon Ramsden is quickly becoming my favourite player at Fir Park, been far better at right back than he was at centre-half and thought he put in 100% again as usual last night.

[underboyleheating]

This was a real chance for us to lift some silverware for the 1st time in a generation and when you look at the teams in the draw its enough to make you greet.

This

[fat_tony]

Well said, Andy & SteveDiggle. Pretty much sums up how I'm still feeling this morning. I don't even know where to start with all the negativity around here. Sounds like we might as well take half our team out the back and shoot them.

 

I actually thought Lawson had a decent enough game last night, it just became apparent that we didn't need three similar midfielders, and he was the one who was sacrificed. In hindsight that was maybe unfortunate, as he's shown that he's willing to spray passes out wide and get the ball moving quickly, something Lasley and Carswell, much as I like them, don't tend to do.

 

Angol wasn't great. Didn't offer much in the first half and by the time he started running at people in the second half, he was being marked by two or three men every time. We just weren't quick enough moving the ball to take advantage of the gaps this opened up.

 

I was incredibly frustrated with Ainsworth last night. Put in a couple of decent deliveries to be fair, but he was so static that Ramsden seemed to be playing right mid at times rather than him. On that note, I'm quite liking Ramsden at right back now. He seems to have settled into the role and looks to be much better in there than Hateley ever was. Also nice to see him yelling at Ainsworth to push forward.

 

Neilsen didn't do much to improve his confidence after Sunday's display, and flapped at a fair few balls. I still think there's potential there, but he and the defence have a lot of work to do to improve their communication and understanding. I wonder if all those calling for Hollis to be dropped and Neilsen to step in have changed their minds, or will still persist?

 

Not playing Faddy was still the strangest point of the night for me, and concerning that he wasn't brought on when the game needed a moment of magic. I don't think for a second that he "couldn't give a fuck either way", or that he's not putting the effort in during training (call me a sycophant if you like). He's been struggling all season, so the question needs to be: "was he fit enough to play last night"? If he was, then that has to go down as an absolute howler of a substitution by McCall. If he wasn't, then he shouldn't have been on the bench and the spot should have been available for Moore or Vigurs.

 

Very galling night at the office, and still hurting this morning. But the fact is we were beaten by a better, more organised team, who simply wanted the result more than we did, and were prepared to fight for it. It's now a case of putting it behind us and taking our frustrations out on Hibs on Sunday. They'll be reeling after their result, too, so it's important that we pile the pressure on.

[TAM]

Just watched McCall's interview on MFC TV and sure he was gutted, but for me to much focus on the early goal that was chopped off. Playing against a team with 10 men for 77 mins, we should have been able to break them down.

 

McCall knows what a big week this was for our season, a chance to go clear in 2nd in the league and get to a cup semi abd he's made some real howlers. Decision to take off Lawson and not Carswell is very strange. Surely he brought Lawson here as last season he sat in the County midfield and sprayed the passes? Sure in the first half he was sometimes taking too long but surely you tell him to speed up. In the second hald it took far too long for us to shift the ball across the park to our spare man and that allowed them to re-group.

 

Some real soul searching needed by the manager, the team and even the fans. Maybe we expect too much as given the turn over of players in the summer we probably thought we'd be in the bottim six and re-building. The squad we have this season cannot play the same shape or style as last year and we can't keep trying to make that happen.

 

Left there last night thinking enough is enough and had the real hump with McCall, but in the cold morning light I'll still be back on Sunday and we'll all still be there year after year!

[mfc88]

Absolutely gutted with that last night. I know it can be difficult to play against 10 men but generally you are talking for 15-20 mins, not 80 mins - we should have been able to crack them in that time.

 

Ive never felt so deflated as a motherwell fan. If I didnt have a season ticket or we were away this sunday I dont think I'd bother....

[Steve Diggle]

Not if they throw 9 outfield players into defence

[gav212]

What's the point?

 

Absolutely toothless display after playing best part of 80 minutes with ten men.

 

Paul Lawson is an abomination of a player, no dig, no drive, nothing, what a waste of a wage.

 

The keeper inspires no confidence whatsoever, maybe Hollis isn't so bad after all, eh?

 

On a hiding to nothing with Angol, his first touch is absolutely dreadful and his crosses even worse.

 

Down to ten men and Stevie Hammel persists with walking the ball to the half way line, having a wee look then battering the ball in the direction of John Suttons chest, arguably the one area you don't have an advantage against ten men is in an aerial battle... Even if Sutton won a knock down it wouldn't have mattered, not like he had anyone running beyond him to pick them up.

 

Absolutely scunnered with it, a chance to get into the last four of a cup with three other similar sides and we fucking blow it, Scottish cup is all there is left to play for.

 

Between the general over-pricing of a shite standard of football, last nights debacle, our toothless, pathetic displays in Europe and the inability to show up for any sort of important one-off tie I really don't see many reasons for positivity.

 

I really can't be fucked forking out money for it anymore, doubt I'll be back this season, rant over...

[mfc88]

Not if they throw 9 outfield players into defence

 

For 15-20 mins yes but for 80?? We should have tired them out and worn them down but instead we lumped crosses in from deep. Bread and butter for the likes of Anderson, Reynolds and considine. The one time zfa hit the touchline carswell had an effort which somehow (and fuck knows how) langfield saved, need to see that again.

 

Had we scored first last night I am sure we would have won. The game was crying out for a playmaker like faddy, i dont care if he has been poor so far this season, we needed some sort of creative spark and he could have been it. We are missing law so much.

[fat_tony]

The one time zfa hit the touchline carswell had an effort which somehow (and fuck knows how) langfield saved, need to see that again.

 

Unfortunately he hit it straight at Langfield, so there wasn't much he needed to do.

[underboyleheating]

Since Tommy McLean a whole host of managers have tried and failed to deliver silverware to Fir Park. It’s still early days, however, McCall and his players will need to produce something pretty special to avoid being added to the list. Stuart is well respected as a manager, however, so were many of the previous bosses who tried and failed to emulate Wee Tommy’s triumph.

In Scotland, out with the league championship the Scottish Cup is the big one and hopefully we can dust ourselves down and attempt to go all the way in that one.

 

Let’s get right behind the Well and make sure that happens.

[dosser1886]

Can't fault the lads for effort last night. Just no one in the team that was on the park last night with enough spark or ability to do that extra bit that is required to score against such a well organised defense. Not much luck either. Tactics, or lack of, just played into their hands all night.

 

Not much point slating the players the deficiencies were there for all to see last night.

 

 

 

Hard to watch, but there you go. I've seen much worse.

 

Roll on Sunday

[wunderwell]

Again like many others best left until today till I posted my words.

 

The first thing for me was when I heard the team I was disappointed in the announcement for the second week in a row of Carswell, Lawson and Lasley as a midfield trio with Angol. Lawson/Carswell pick one, we don't need two....that in itself is playing not to concede and we don't need to show Aberdeen this level of respect at home. That midfield will never work. There are too many people on this forum who will not slate Carswell because he is young or Lasley as he has been a stalwart of the club, but I thought last night both of them never got to grips with the game and Flood, who will never be my cup of tea as an individual, I would have swapped in a heartbeat last night.

 

Lawson too many sideways passes, and too slow. This is fine in the right system but with Lasley and Carswell give us peace.

Francis-Angol, I would love to ask Stuart McCall if he is under instruction to not give the ball away in the first half of a game. This may be part of McCall's containment plan but was the same against Kuban where he didn't try and beat a man till second half.

I thought contrary to everyone else Ainsworth was alright when he came on, and Angol was ok second half let's be honest at least they created something.

 

Next of all Vigurs is a quality player. McFadden is one of the best talents Scotland has produced in a long time. Yet they have been poor at the start of the season. This is down to not incorporating them into the team to utilise their talents in the best way. This is multiplied by the inability to play wing backs who provide support to these guys.

 

It's a mess simply because we have played circa 15 games and we don't know what we are doing.

There is no quick fix, but simply a suggestion below of how this could be done.

 

Hollis/Neilson

 

Wing Back - (I feel a bit sorry for Ramsden who has actually done ok, but it's a system we need)

Hutchinson

McManus

Wing Back (not Angol)

 

Def Midfielder - Lawson & Lasley

Att Midfielder - Vigurs

 

McFadden - can drift

Anier - can drift

 

Sutton

 

For me attacking wing backs could provide the foil, if we have 2 defensive midfielders, I dunno, but it ain't working and some big decisions need made.

I've probably contradicted myself here but it's the system that McCall has that is wrong, and he needs to fix it.

[well-army]

 

Paul Lawson is an abomination of a player, no dig, no drive, nothing, what a waste of a wage.

 

 

 

Still gutted about last night as it was a rare chance for me to actually go to the match. The above quote sums it all up for me.