Scottish Premiership Motherwell V Celtic Sat 3 Dec 12:15

[underboyleheating]

He was quick to defend him.

Unlike Touré.

[Ya Bezzer!]

I have to be honest, I just cannot agree with all of the negative posts and allegations of capitulation and surrender. I know it hurts and people are gutted, but a wee bit of objectivity goes a long way.

 

That is a very limited Motherwell side but I thought they made an excellent account of themselves. Indeed, we've gained 2 new fans after today.

 

I watched the game with a fellow exile Well fan, a gillingham fan and a Crystal Palace fan and the two neutrals were both massively impressed with Louise and Cadds in particular and with the manner in which our team went about the first half. Our half time discussion was all about how the first fifteen after the break were crucial and how we'd be put to the sword by a Celtic team who inevitably would have much more in the tank than a high pressing Motherwell. We even optimistically discussed how Motherwell may be able to score more on the counter.

 

I don't think we were terribly far from the truth and to say that the team sat back or capitulated is at best the emotion talking or just simply claret and amber tinted total bollocks. The reality is that Celtic upped their game, we tired, had poorer subs than them and in the end, we were overwhelmed.

 

To make Ainsworth a scapegoat? To blame McGhee for substitutions when it was his tactics and obvious motivation of the team that got us our 2-0 lead? Really? Stevie Hammells age isn't why he was slack at the back, he's NEVER been as good at the back as he was going forward, he's always stood off too much. Heneghan made one mistake in failing to pick up a runner and it cost us, but don't forget, this is his first season at a higher level and he was up against some experienced and talented forwards with hours of international, europa and champions league experience. But yeah, lets hang him and all the others out to dry.

 

Fuck me!!!! There were many more positives than negatives from today, yet everybody wants to be Alan Hansen on benzo's.

 

For the two neutrals watching with us, they bloody loved the game for all of its guile and suspense. When we scored the third, they were jumping aboot my hoose like life long well fans. Yet, at the death, they just could not get their head around why the east stand was almost deserted and that the Motherwell fans did not stay on to applaud their team. My Well supporting mates poignant reply was "aye well, that's Motherwell fur ye, naebody does miserable better than us"

 

Absolutely.

 

I think it's telling that reading the forums after matches is more depressing than losing a last minute goal to Celtic.

 

Now I am far from a happy clapper and I've been quite strident on various managers and players down the years but I've always tried to be objective. However the overall glum negativity, bizarre vendettas against players and staff, the wild, you can only describe it as bi-polar, expectations on the team, the immediate reaction to scapegoat and apportion blame, I'm afraid its all getting too much for me. It's relentless.

 

Now I'm certainly not storming off, but I definitely feel like scaling back because reading these forums has actually become, overall, a fairly unpleasant experience. That's a real shame in my opinion and who knows it may well be why, apparently, traffic is down on the site.

 

We are a small club, bumping along with 3,000 paying fans. Really, what do you expect from us? I really hope our fan base can reel in their expectations a bit and start actually enjoying being a Motherwell supporter. After all, don't you go because you love it?

 

EDIT. "Alan Hansen on benzos" LOL.

[Joeboy]

We had a massively reduced budget in the summer and I think at times that tells. Had we not retained Hammell and Lasley, we would probably have been trying to replace them with guys coming from conference level or similar (as tends to be where most of our signings come from these days). I guess McGhee has opted for a "better the devil you know" option there, as the new signings would have been a gamble, but that's obviously backfired. For me, Hammell's main issue now is his fitness, which is a shame as he's gone through most of his career barely missing any games and over the past three seasons he's been unable to stay fit. Lasley's main issue seems to be his mobility. He always gets drawn to the ball and leaves big gaps that he can't get back to exposed. I suppose you could argue that Lasley might not have played all the time had McHugh and/or Lucas been fit (it's possible we wouldn't have signed Lucas had McHugh been fit, so having both of them may not be a debate).

 

Recruitment has undoubtedly been poor this season, but luck and some gambles have come into it as well. McHugh's injury obviously a freak and when covering for that we have signed Lucas, a player who obviously has a bit of quality, but represented a gamble given his fitness history. McGhee could easily have replaced him with a guy with no injury history and we could be sitting here bemoaning how he offered nothing different from Lasley can at 37 and how he wasn't good enough. I guess those are the gambles taken in football, some pay off, some don't. The problem with getting Hammell out of the team is that his understudy appears to be just as injury prone as him, whilst being unproven. McMillan has done well and I would pursue playing him, but playing him at left back when he's not totally comfortable on his left foot isn't a long term solution.

[grizzlyg]

Wee Skippy was on radio scotland. Was talking about the incidents between that Sellik no.2 ( can't mind his name...heh he) and Magoo. Skippy was having a right to saying they lacked respect. Gaun yerself wee yin. Also bt sport 1.....loads of well connection on show

[fat_tony]

We are a small club, bumping along with 3,000 paying fans. Really, what do you expect from us? I really hope our fan base can reel in their expectations a bit and start actually enjoying being a Motherwell supporter. After all, don't you go because you love it?

I really wonder whether some do, or if it's just a habit. I've got two guys who sit next to me and do nothing but moan at every little thing that doesn't go our way. They seem incapable of seeing anything positive in what the team is trying to create, and the second a move breaks down it's "oh, here we go again", "here comes their goal".

 

How can that be an enjoyable experience?

[grizzlyg]

Do you sit next to McGhee??? Heh he only joking

[Wellarmy]

I really wonder whether some do, or if it's just a habit. I've got two guys who sit next to me and do nothing but moan at every little thing that doesn't go our way. They seem incapable of seeing anything positive in what the team is trying to create, and the second a move breaks down it's "oh, here we go again", "here comes their goal".

 

How can that be an enjoyable experience?

I sit down in the last section of the East Stand near the Well Bois but depending what teams in town I venture down to the last section near the exit for the second half.

 

It's absolutely night and day, the young lads and even the guys my age(mid20s-mid30s) at that far side usually keep a good amount of positivity but when I head down the other side it's call the Samaritans. I mean these are guys that roared at McGhee and booed the team when they misplaced a pass with 2 minutes to go against Partick while 2-0 up, what the hell are they wanting??? Beggars belief at times, it's like they canae wait for a missed chance, pass or tackle. I think I would've lynched somebody if I'd moved down there on Saturday

[Yoshi-1991]

Unlike Touré.

I was going to make that joke myself but thought I would leave it open, I am glad you claimed it.

[grizzlyg]

I took my fiancée's nephew to game on Saturday. He is 15 and supports Chelsea. At half time I said "hey you are a lucky mascot, you can come again any time", at full time......'YER A JINX!!!!!!!" LOL

[steelboy]

Stevie Hammell looking a lot better now....

[StipeIsGod]

I despair when we play backpasses and square balls for around 10 mins at a time but an old boy near me in the East seems to become apoplectic with rage every time we consider a pass which isn't a 40 yard forward diagonal from the full back.

 

We really do have an odd support.