If a manager is under pressure during a 15 game winless run, is it not fair game for him to plead mitigation in terms of budget and request a little more understanding of his situation?
I know I certainly wouldnt be lying down meakly and waiting for the bullet!
Id be challenging those that set my budget to stand by me after delivering what they asked.
In respect of whether this season has been succesful or not, it again depends on whether you wish to make any allowances for those circumstances.
I would say keeping us in the league is always the pre-requisite for any Motherwell manager. After that we can start to look up. We are on course for finishing 7th or 8th (9th at worst) which is acceptable in a season when the budget had to be re-structured so drastically on the back of the Alexander/Hammell debacles.
As for the cups we navigated the group stages of the league cup fairly comfortably and were rewarded as the seeded team with an away tie to a St Mirren side who have had a relatively good season. That was a game of fine margins so disappointing but not unexpected to lose.
The Morton defeat is a sore one as we should have known what to expect and walked right into it and played the game exactly the way Dougie Imrie wanted us to. Definite black mark on our record there.
We have played some decent football at times, scored some magnificent goals, handed out a few thrashings and beat Rangers away in the league for the first time in 27 years. We have seen the re-birth of a player in Theo Bair and one of our own come through to claim a regular first team place at the age of 17.
Id say all in all, thats not too bad a season. Probably just about pass marks for the manager and the team.
It has been incredibly frustrating at times, particularly some of our defending. Many mistakes were made. But there is lots of room for improvement and we have kept faith with a manager who will have learned a helluva lot for the experience.
With the re-structuring off the field and the potential for additional investment off it, or at least a re-invigorated Well Society and CEO, Im actually quite excited to see how it all plays out next season.