MFCL84

I don't see this as a free hit. This is an opportunity, very early in the season, to see how the team are shaping up for the marathon that is the league. I expect us to be brave on the ball and have much more of the game than we've had in previous meetings. I expect us to be in their faces from start to finish. I expect us to perform well and make a statement to the league that Motherwell will be a force this season. Will we win? My heart says that we will, but my head says probably not, but I don't expect us to lose with a whimper.

For me Theo was a one season wonder. No way that I'd want to take him back. It is a brave new footballing world that we face this season, we should not be considering the return of previous players that worked in a different system.

Well that was very enjoyable. Controlled the game from start to finish, with the exception of 10 minutes after the triple substitution which seemed to unsettle the rhythm of play. Considering the whole of the group stage, does anyone recall a set of matches where we have completely dominated the opponents in the way that we have this campaign? Sure, the opponents have all been from lower leagues, but we have often struggled badly in such games. While we have gifted a few goals and struggled to score, we have been dominant in all of the games. I certainly didn't expect us to dominate Morton the way that we did tonight. It was a very comfortable win. If we can get some improvement of the final ball and solidity in defence we could be very good this season. Roll on Friday to see how we compete against some higher quality opponents.

I'm not sure about this one. To some extent it'll depend on what JBA does regarding load balancing. Will he play his strongest team or is he still looking to get minutes into some of the players? I'd love a convincing performance and clear victory, but I reckon a score draw at 90 mins (2-2) and then the fun lottery of penalties.

I thought that the sweeper keeper thing worked well today. Matt didn't seem quite so far up the pitch, but did intercept a couple of direct plays when it looked like Stenny might get a break.

The conditions, both pitch and weather, undoubtedly had an impact on the quality and pace of the game today. It is also clear that JBA is still messing around with the line-up and formation as he is learning about the players and their abilities. I guess that he has to do it, but it doesn't make for a cohesive team performance. The 1st half today was OK, but no more than that. It lacked the pace and energy of Tuesday. The second half was played like a training game, almost at walking pace at times. It is good to hear JBA call out the lack of pace in the second half. He clearly saw it and isn't happy about it. Chance creation was minimal. Our corners were all pretty similar, back post efforts. While one of the many did result in the goal, a bit of variety is needed in our set plays. Our open play is very hesitant. As someone said, it seems like the players are still thinking about the manager's instructions rather than carrying them out instinctively. This is leading to missed opportunities, but should improve with time. Runs are being made, but not seen. Our forwards, and I mean Ap and Sule, are not being given much to work with. Everything that Ap got today was behind him with his back to goal. We need to get through and behind teams and get the ball in front of Ap. I was expecting a bit of improvement and a natural progression from Tuesday. That didn't materialise. I'm sure that it'll improve with time but we need more pace, energy and incisive passing in the final third to carry any threat. A deserved win today, but it was much more difficult than it should have been.

This will be my first away game in a few years. I'm going because, I saw enough on Tuesday night to suggest that the football that we will be watching this season will be worth the entrance fee. I like the manager's interviews and I am buying into his philosophy. So, I am going along tomorrow to see a little bit of improvement and some attractive football. I will accept the risks of this new style of play and have high hopes for the season ahead. That said, it won't be plain sailing tomorrow. I expect that we'll lose a goal, but will eventually win out. 3-1 to The Well.

To give SOD credit, he did change the game a bit when he came on. He played a wicked cross into the box and rolled a nice through ball into the box (sorry, I don't recall who got on to the end of it). Unfortunately, he also sclaffed one right across field that could have been a bit more embarrassing than it was. He gave 100% when he came on, and I will always appreciate players that give their all.

Of the new guys tonight I thought that Fadinger and Watt did well. I have high hopes for those guys as the season develops. I need to see more of Longelo, Just and Sule. Longelo had a couple of decent strikes, was keen to go forward, but wasn't tested defensively. Just has good feet, but tries to do too much at times. Sule got next to no service.

Yeah, and that was another one tonight, but at least we got the win (just).

This'll be my first game this season, and even after the Clyde result, I am excited about the prospect of seeing some progressive, positive football from Motherwell. I expect that the first half will be difficult, but we will eventually win through by a clear margin, 3-0 to The Well.

Never has a truer word been said. It'll be interesting to see how the idea of playing from the back develops with Gordon and Ward. Ward certainly isn't a keeper that knows what to do with a ball at his feet.

I don't agree with this. Surely, the manager will dictate the type of players that are needed and will have to become familiar with the squad before any instructions are passed to the recruitment team. Swimmer said during a few interviews that he had to compromise his approach because the players at his disposal couldn't execute his style of football. Recruiting before the new manager is in place and understands the abilities of the squad would be a serious error. Recruitment will now have to be late in the window.

Exactly this. However, at no time in the 2nd half did it look like we were going to lose this one. Total domination, which is not something that Motherwell do very often. When the 1st went in it looked like we'd score every time we went forward and the scoreline was merited in the end. Ultimately, a good end to the home season. Another season in the top tier. Well done to the players and staff. A professional performance is now required against Ross County to put a seal on what has been a difficult season.

I gave it to Slattery for his all round contribution. Hallway and Watt also had a very good game.

A bit of an improvement today, but still hugely frustrating. We were, amazingly, still in the game at 90 minutes, but for some reason didn't seem to think that we should or could take a risk in the final 10 mins or so try to win the ball and push for an unlikely point. Once again, a very passive performance from the midfield and defensive areas. Good debuts by Thomson and Armstrong. The other debutants didn't really have enough time to show much. Sparrow was our most effective midfield player.

Sparrow for me. Armstrong caught the eye based on attitude and work rate, and of course he got our goal, but Sparrow's all round contribution edged it for me.

I expect that we'll put up a reasonably dogged defensive performance in the first half, going in 1 goal down and then capitulate in the final quarter of the game, finally losing about 4-0. I hope that I am wrong.

I have no problem with that, it is just the way that I saw it.

This is a huge part of the problem that we have. Lack of worthwhile possession puts the back line under constant pressure. This leads to the guys at the back making mistakes. Keep the ball better and play as much of the game as possible on your own terms in the opposition half and the defence will make fewer mistakes.

Having watched that interview, I got the distinct feeling that he didn't care.

Can I ask why you go to the games and what you get from them if survival is the main thing. Don't you go to the games to be entertained? As I said when I opened this thread, going to games seems like no more than a bad habit now, I certainly get very little enjoyment from the football on display.

I think the fact that we are talking about this when sitting in 5th says a lot about how bad the football has been. Motherwell fans would usually be happy with their team sitting in this position. Why is it different this time? Probably because the football on show is brutal.

Are you happy with points or do you want more entertainment? I’ll start by saying that I am satisfied with the points tally and league position at this time. Indeed, given the horrendous list of injuries experienced this season, the points tally is commendable. However, the entertainment on show is non-existent. The persistent use of an overly negative approach, combined with hit-and-hope hoofball is absolutely dreadful to watch. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been just for the past few games, but has been the case for most/all of this season. I used to look forward to going to the game on a Saturday, but now it just feels like a bad-habit that I should give up. What really frustrates me is that I don’t think that the squad at Motherwell is any worse than most of the squads in the league, but week-in-week-out I see the opposition dominate possession, while appearing to be technically better on the ball and playing with more cohesion and purpose. I haven’t bothered to look at the possession stats, pass completion stats or number of goal attempts made; I don’t need to, because I know that to be entertained I want Motherwell to do better in all of those areas. Maybe I’m in the minority, maybe many are being entertained with this brand of football. I most certainly am not. Are you happy with the entertainment provided by Motherwell?

I have to agree. He was very slow to react on a number of occasions today and didn't look interested. Maybe he was suffering from a knock or a virus. Definitely should have been replaced earlier than he was.