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Albion Rovers V Motherwell 30/11/13


Toxteth O'Grady
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Witty.

 

I'm sure McCall would point out the fact he was the one who got us to our first Scottish Cup final in 20 years, making him I think maybe only the 4th or 5th manager to do so in the club's history? Something which you failed to give him credit for(a recurring theme in your post). Should we have expected to beat Celtic? No. Could we have played better? Yes. However Randolph wasn't exactly overworked and Gunning was about 6 inches from drawing us level. We also put in a tremendous display against Rangers in the League Cup semi when he first took over which you seem to have missed out.

 

Last seasons 'joke' Euro games? You mean like Panathinaikos? Where Christodoulopoulos, who opened the scoring in both matches, cost them over 3 million euros? The team that had Boumsong a French Internationalist and former Lyon, Newcastle and Juventus player at centre-back where we had Simon Ramsden? I'll bet Boumsong earned about as much in those few weeks between those two legs as Ramsden earned all last season. The gulf in resources was astronomical and although I never made it to Greece I was at Fir Park and thought we gave a very good account of ourselves.

As for Levante, did they not finish like 5th or 6th in one of the best leagues in world football? I was actually very proud of our efforts in the 2nd game, a young Motherwell team with the likes of Kerr, Page, Cummins, Hethrington & Carswell all in the starting line up gave a fantastic account of themselves. Higdon had a goal questionably ruled out for offside and Page missed a glorious chance as well at 0-0. Only a goal in about the 75th minute separated the sides on the night and finally killed off the tie. They were a very good side that went on to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

Im sure Stuart McCall would also point out that he was the the one that led us to those 2nd and 3rd place finishes that got us to those European ties.

The Ibrox cup tie was bad, aye. So was Aberdeen in the League Cup and Saturday was undoubtedly the worst of the lot.

However none of McCall's cup defeats before Saturday, however disappointing, were any worse than some of the other shambolic cup upsets recent managers have endured.

McGhee out at home to 1st division, nine man Dundee. Gannon pumped three zip in Paisley. Paw Broon papped out to 1st Division ICT. Malpas turned over by 1st division St Johnstone at Fir Park.

None of the above where really here long term though. So what about Butcher's tenure? Another long serving manager, good old Terry. Given much credit on here for the way he fires up ICT for those big games, something McCall should take note of according to some on here. Butcher however oversaw plenty of shite cup displays in his time at Fir Park including us getting pumped 5-1 in a cup final, papped out by part time Forfar, knocked out at home to 1st division ICT and getting scudded 3-0 by 1st division St.Mirren at Love street.

And during those times under any of those managers we were nowhere near as consistent in the league as we have been under McCall. Bad cup results seem to be in our DNA sadly and McCall isn't the first manager at Motherwell to struggle in cup competitions. Sadly, I doubt he'll be the last. Admittedly Saturday was the worst of the lot. However a sacking offence? Absolutely not.

I'm no McCall lover, especially at present but your post is horrendously weighted in an anti McCall manner and gives him absolutely no credit for some of the excellent work he has done at our club. He's far from perfect, in fact he's quite flawed. And if you could find me a manager that could deliver sexy fitba, consistent high league finishes, qualify for the group stages of a European Competition and win a few cups all on a shoe string budget then I'd be all for it and would pay for McCall's taxi out of here.

However until such times Stuart McCall is our manager and will be for the foreseeable future, like it or lump it.

 

Personal Abuse was unwarranted so I do retract that. I also do give McCall credit for our League finishes, however, I would point out that he was in charge of arguably the strongest team out of a very poor league and so,over the course of a season it wasnt too big of a shock,I do though understand that no matter my feelings it was a good achievement. You have ,I feel, completely missed my point!

 

Yes weve had bad cup results with other managers but I cant remember 1 coming out with the lies McCall continually peddals. And THAT is what gets me! I never expected us to win the cup if im honest and I certainly wouldnt expect us to beat Pana/Levante/Kuban but I would hope we could score or maybe get a shot on target and expect us to put up a fight but it never happened. What we did do was swap tactics & rest players leaving us looking disjointed and clueless for the most part. And we learned NOTHING. We clearly didnt turn up at Ibrox or the Aberdeen game last season and this seasons games have been a shambles. McCall said himself our budgets depend on Cup results and under him weve been utterly stinking. The level of apathy for even Euro games is worrying but understandable given the fact were beaten before we start and cannot work the oppo keeper nevermind score a goal

 

He pipes up with the same shit everytime but I have to ask, Why dont we learn from these games? Why do we still change tactics? Why do we rest players? Why is there never a doubt about our attitude or effort? Why do we lose these games when our attitude and effort are apparently top notch? The fact is there clearly IS a problem with effort,there clearly IS a problem with attitude,we/McCall continually clearly learn NOTHING from these games so under him how can we do better?

 

TBH I would have sacked him just for saturday alone! Never scouted Albion , never even entertained a back-up an then didnt even pay them the respect of filling the bench. And some wonder where the players get the lack of professionalism & effort from? Its unforgiveable,esp in a game that financially means so much to us

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What McCall HAS done is gone ,its what he's doing now that matters .Much along the same lines as the old chestnut " a teams only as good as there last result " he ain't doing to well. League position I hear some say ,sitting nicely in the top six ,Nae chance of going down ...mmm I wonder.

 

Their

 

Too

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Personal Abuse was unwarranted so I do retract that. I also do give McCall credit for our League finishes, however, I would point out that he was in charge of arguably the strongest team out of a very poor league and so,over the course of a season it wasnt too big of a shock,I do though understand that no matter my feelings it was a good achievement. You have ,I feel, completely missed my point!

 

 

 

So you don't give McCall any credit for building last seasons team which was as you point out arguably the strongest (APART FROM CELTIC) in the league.

 

Im thinking of that team, McCall personally brought in, Ramsden, Law, Faddy, Ojamma, Higgy.

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Just saying likes? Pedant.

 

Oh right. Just seemed an odd comment, like you were almost trying to imply something. Although don't ask me what.

 

Anyway... Hopefully the bois will rap it with their smoke bombs. No need for it. They do a good job with their atmosphere without them.

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Hopefully the bois will rap it with their smoke bombs. No need for it. They do a good job with their atmosphere without them.

Compared to flares we all know that smoke bombs are relatively harmless but I am afraid who ever is bringing them in needs to stop or risk being banned and the club fined. I personally have no problem with them, however, the authorities have taken a different view. Just out of curiosity does any one know if we have been fined for any of the previous smoke bomb incidents? If so, how much?

 

 

 

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I'm pretty sure they had plain clothes police in there again, there was one guy who kept going down to talk to them and didn't appear to have any MFC stuff on.Is that just something that happens at every game now?

 

 

 

Thought the policing of the game was pretty decent, there didn't appear to be any arrests during the game at least and they seemed to be quite lenient other than the one guy who was determined that nobody would stand on the stairs.

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We've never been fined for smokebombs, no team in Scotland has.

Do you think that may change, due to the fact that the authorities appear not to be able to distinguish ( or should that be extinguish ph34r.gif) between the two. The fact that the BBC used a picture of the smoke bomb from the Rovers game to illustrate their article appears to confirm this.

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Don't have MFC TV either, but there's a wee interview with Keith Lasley in today's Evening Times.

 

Same Shite Different Day.

 

 

" but we know we have not become a bad team because of one howler."

 

 

 

Sounds familiar!

 

 

 

 

How many times have we heard this after they fucked up, can't recall too many times where they have subsequently shown

 

 

 

 

"a bit of character and backbone and provide a response for the fans."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Right now everyone associated with Motherwell is hurting, and we need to stick together"

 

 

 

 

Is this in response to the "you're not fit to wear the shirt" chants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not expecting to see many (if any) players at the Race night on Saturday

 

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Apart from "I quit", what do you want the club captain to say that he didn't in that article.

 

I dont think he particularly cares what the players say , what he wants is when they come out with it and promise to do better next time thats what they do.

 

Aberdeen , "chance blown , we're awfy sorry , we're gutted , we'll make it up, theres still the league and the scottish cup to play for"

 

Out at the first time of asking in the Scottish barely a month later "chance blown , we're awfy sorry , we're gutted , we'll make it up theres still the league to play for"

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I think the words are fine, but actions speak louder and told a very different tale.

 

I'm obviously missing the point here, but what actions? We haven't played any more games since.

 

If your talking about previous times we have hit a slump under McCall, we have turned it around to finish, for example, 3rd and 2nd in the league.

 

To be honest, I'm not necessarily expecting a quick fix from this group of players with their lack of guile in the midfield and obvious lack of confidence. Unless Faddy suddenly sparks some magic, we don't have an obvious game changer right now, so all we can hope for in the next few games is effort and focus.

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I'm obviously missing the point here, but what actions? We haven't played any more games since.

 

If your talking about previous times we have hit a slump under McCall, we have turned it around to finish, for example, 3rd and 2nd in the league.

 

To be honest, I'm not necessarily expecting a quick fix from this group of players with their lack of guile in the midfield and obvious lack of confidence. Unless Faddy suddenly sparks some magic, we don't have an obvious game changer right now, so all we can hope for in the next few games is effort and focus.

Unfortunately we have more chance of getting some magic from Paul Daniels. :wizard:

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my initial reaction was to not go on friday, ive got a ST, so the club already have my money

 

but its on TV, so if its shit - i can turn it off and watch something else!

 

im now beginning to change my mind to go - but on the sames lines as Frazzie, i dont care what the players say, i dont care what McCalls says - actions speak louder than words

 

i dont particularly care if we lose on Friday - its expected, but what I want to see is 100% effort from every single one of them - nothing else is acceptable

 

and if we dont see blood, guts and tears within the first 15mins - i fear the crowd will turn on the players, and to an extent, quite rightly so

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Even if we do see blood, guts and tears on Friday night, I doubt I'll have forgiven them for Saturday. Playing against the Champions live on Sky is not where you earn your stripes as a Motherwell player in my book, or else there would be a massive Ged Brannan flag up on the floodlight instead of Joe Wark. The next 2/3 months will prove whether the captain is telling us the truth or not.

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Lasley in The Evening Times:-

 

"We came in and trained as normal on Monday and Tuesday and we have tried to talk things out, but we know we have not become a bad team because of one howler."

 

Firstly, in my opinion they should have been in for training on Sunday after being shown up by part-timers. Secondly, I agree that we have not become a bad team because of one howler. It's also because of the howlers that have come before it...

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