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This coming Saturday 3pm ko at Rockburn Park...Motherwell have stated that it will be an under20s team that will be playing. Before the match, there will be a 7s tournament being held by the East Stand Motherwell group in support of Men's Mental Health charities...this begins at 10am and ends around 1.30pm.

Hopefully a few turn up for this , a very good cause Intending to go to the Bellshill game myself , back to the good stuff None of this club world cup nonsense

Im all for football being played on grass. We used to have one of the worst grass pitches in the league and now its one of the best. So it can be done on a small budget. Like others have said, you have to prioritise. If standards are set it forces that decision on clubs, which is fine. But imho, there should also be standards for grass pitches. Ours used to be horrible during the winter months. St Johnstones was poor last year and other clubs have had dodgy grass pitches. The rules shouldnt just be applied to plastic if we are serious about improving standands......

Could also be just bloody awesome!

I can't make it on Saturday but if I can give a donation I will. My family have lost two people to suicide in the last three generations - both male. Well done to the people organising.

I have been bored with it if truth be told so I haven't been watching Bellshill away or Clyde away the week after is much more appealing to me

Here is it's attempt at the Clyde game Formation Motherwell should line up in a 4-2-3-1 to balance control and intensity. This gives two defensive midfielders shielding the back four and three attackers ahead. It suits Askou’s preferred style of “dynamic…aggressive” football with layers of playnews.stv.tv. The two holding mids will dictate possession (one likely Elliot Watt – a “highly skilled passer” who “covers ground well”motherwellfc.co.uk – alongside a box-to-box runner like Tom Sparrow). Ahead of them, an attacking trio (Callum Slattery centrally with wide runners) can stretch Clyde’s defense. The back four – O’Donnell at right, McGinn at left, with Gordon and Balmer centrally – provides width on overlaps and defensive solidity. Overall, 4-2-3-1 offers controlled buildup, high pressing, and multiple attacking outlets against the League Two side. Defense (4): RB Stephen O’Donnell; CBs Liam Gordon and Kofi Balmer; LB Paul McGinn. Midfield pivot (2): Elliot Watt (DM) and Tom Sparrow (DM). Attacking midfield (3): Callum Slattery (CAM) supporting as #10, with wingers Sam Nicholson (R) and Lukas Fadinger (L). Forward (1): Apostolos Stamatelopoulos leading the line. Starting XI GK: Aston Oxborough RB: Stephen O’Donnell (captain) CB: Liam Gordon CB: Kofi Balmer LB: Paul McGinn CDM: Elliot Wattmotherwellfc.co.uk CDM: Tom Sparrow RW: Sam Nicholson CAM: Callum Slattery LW: Lukas Fadinger ST: Apostolos Stamatelopoulos Watt and Jordan McGhee joined in summeren.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org; Watt’s arrival gives extra quality and width in midfieldmotherwellfc.co.uk. All listed players are under contract and fit; key contributors from last season (Oxborough, O’Donnell, Slattery, Nicholson, etc.) remain available. Tactical Overview Style of play: Under Askou, Motherwell will play high-intensity, aggressive football with multiple layersnews.stv.tv. In possession, the team will focus on controlling the game through midfield, using short passes and movement rather than only long balls. The double pivot (Watt/Sparrow) will dictate play and recycle possession, while the #10 (Slattery) provides creativity. Fullbacks O’Donnell and McGinn will push on to supply width and overload wide areas. Askou demands “aggressiveness, discipline [and] structure” from his sidenews.stv.tv, so Motherwell should maintain a compact shape without the ball and press Clyde intensely high up. Key tactics: The midfield should press collectively to deny Clyde time on the ball, reflecting Askou’s emphasis on intensitynews.stv.tv. Watt’s ability to cover ground and provide disciplined possessionmotherwellfc.co.uk makes him ideal for breaking up counters and transitioning play quickly. Up front, Nicholson and Fadinger will stretch the defense, allowing Stamatelopoulos to latch onto crosses and through balls. Set pieces will be important – Motherwell have tall, aerially strong defenders – so winning corners and free-kicks can produce goals as they did last year. In defense, the two holding mids must screen the back four to prevent Dunachie or Hilton (Clyde’s strikers) from running in behind. The back line will stay organized, and O’Donnell/McGinn will support the press by quickly advancing on Clyde’s wide players. Matchups & pressing: Key matchups include Watt and Sparrow against Clyde’s central midfielders, preventing the Bully Wee from building play. Out wide, O’Donnell’s one-vs-one battles vs. their left-sided forwards (e.g. Dunachie) will be critical. Motherwell should press up on Clyde’s half when possible – Askou wants the team to “take the initiative”news.stv.tv – but also stay compact enough to prevent quick counters from Hilton or Robbie Leitch. In short, Motherwell will look to dominate possession, probe openings through midfield, and suffocate Clyde with energetic pressing and quality distribution. Opposition Analysis Clyde (League Two) finished 7th last seasonmotherwellfc.co.uk under new manager Darren Young. Their attack revolves around former Well youth and lower-league scorers. Martin Rennie (10 goals in 2024-25) has left, so look for Motherwell youth graduate Logan Dunachie (7 goals in 24/25, now used as a strikermotherwellfc.co.uk) and new signing James Hilton (9 goals for Dumbarton last term) to lead the linemotherwellfc.co.uk. Midfielder Robbie Leitch (6 goals last year) also remains a threat from deeper. Clyde will likely line up in a narrow 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, attempting to attack quickly when they win the ball. The Bully Wee’s strengths are their forward runners and set-piece work. Motherwell must counter by denying service to Dunachie and Hilton – cutting out passes through the middle (using Watt/Sparrow’s pressure) and marking aggressively on the wings. Given Clyde’s lower-division physical style, Motherwell should use quick passing and width to unbalance them. In defense, compact lines and quick switches of play will counter Clyde’s pace. Neutralize their targets (track Dunachie’s movement in behind, crowd Hilton at crosses) and Motherwell should control the game. Clyde threats: Dunachie and Hilton (right footed runners) will attack space, so Watts’s coverage is vital. Dunachie’s pace means O’Donnell or Sparrow must close him down early. Leitch can shoot from distance, so midfielders need to close down any turning time. On set plays, Clyde’s physicality means Motherwell must stay alert. Overall, Motherwell should dictate tempo (as Askou demands) and punish Clyde on the break and from corners, which will nullify the lower-league side’s main threatsnews.stv.tv

A quarter of the Premiership will now be played on dogshit astroturf, and we’re all just meant to pretend that’s acceptable? Fuck off. If you can’t grow grass in Scotland, you’ve no right playing professional football.

In truth, although I much prefer grass, I am not 100% against artificial if it is good quality and maintained properly. In Falkirk’s defence they have just about the best non grass surface I have seen and it plays true. The real crime has been the authorities ignoring sub standard surfaces which are a danger to players and also ruin games. Killie, Livi and Accies as prime examples. If Livi have been told to upgrade then it’s not before time. Hopefully the criteria change will be enforced. Time will tell. Anyway, back to former employees, I still hope SK crashes and burns no matter what surface his new charges end up playing on. His bring in as many new players, including crocks, policy appears to be in full flow. I give him until Christmas.

I asked ChatGPT to "create a post in the style of MJC on steelmenonline.co.uk" Thread Title: "If That’s Our Ambition, Then God Help Us" Posted by MJC Right, I’ve tried to stay off here for a bit but after watching that yesterday I genuinely wonder what’s going on at this club. We’ve just had a pre-season where we’ve allegedly strengthened, yet here we are playing hoofball against a team that finished 9th last season and looked like they couldn’t be bothered to get out of second gear. Is this the grand new era we were promised? More like the same old p*sh, just with a fresh coat of Dulux. The manager says “the boys gave everything” – aye, well if that’s everything, we’re in for a long season. No shape, no urgency, no clue. And as for some of the new signings – honestly, I’ve seen more presence in a ghost town. We let players go, tell the fans we’re building something, then turn out a performance like that and expect folk to pay £25 a ticket and clap like seals? Sorry, not for me. Call me negative (as usual) but unless there’s a serious wake-up call, we’ll be sleepwalking into another relegation scrap by Halloween. Anyway, I’ll leave it there before I say something I’ll regret.

This season has got disaster written all over it. An out of the box appointment with zero knowledge of the Scottish game and players signed by a previous manager just doesn’t bode well I fear. JBA = “Just Bloody Awful”