weeyin

We've been spoiled in recent years, reaching heights that, when I started following the 'Well, were pipedreams. In the 45 seasons or so I have been watching this mob, the vast majority of the seasons have involved lower half of the table struggles and a couple of relegations. Not to mention the seasons where we cheated relegation thanks to dodgy stadium rules and league reconstruction. I was at at the games where we were officially relegated and with a couple of exceptions, went to every game home and away when we were dossing around the first division. If you choose to watch our team, you are going to be disappointed more often than not. The first real heartbreak I suffered was the Airdrie semi-final replay in the Scottish Cup - Stewart Rennie's breach of the 4 step rule a harsh lesson of what was to come. From that day forward, I have savoured every victory regardless of how small or large. I was lucky enough to be at Hampden when we won the Cup, and even luckier that I was able to share it, standing beside all my old 'Well supporting school mates (and a number of Accies supporting mates). I said then I would die a happy man because I knew from bitter experience how the planets had to be aligned for a club like ours. Wee Tommy had assembled a great team over the years, but I had seen better squads fail to pick up a trophy. I touched on this story in a different thread, but never went into details. The year Butcher took us to the CIS Final, I was working in NYC. I had booked my fight home for the game, but a few days before we had a work emergency. There was a project that needed someone to fly to Hong Kong for a few weeks and nobody was available. One of the big bosses called me up and asked me if I could go. I told him I had holidays planned and didn't really want to change them. As well as 2 or 3 weeks in Hong Kong all expenses paid, he told me if I cancelled my (cheapo cattle class) flight back home, that after the project, he'd pay for me and the wife to fly anywhere we chose First Class. I turned him down with the story that my Mum was ill and I really needed to go home. That was partially true, but the real reason I turned it down was to be at my 2nd Cup Final. So I turned all that down and came home, cheapo style, to watch us collapse big time in the Final. Would I have changed it? No way, because it was a great experience I was able to share with my family and good mates again. Those experiences are what makes the game enjoyable - or on some occasions, at least tolerable. They also make the good times great, because the majority of the Motherwell experience is disappointment. I have enjoyed standing on the terraces at Firs Park watching us beat East Stirling in a game where the foodlights were so bad the ref missed a handball on the goal line. I was at a game at Fir Park where we kicked off both halves. I was at Love Street the night Steve Kirk was red carded for headbutting Billy Abercrombie and Abercrombie received 3 red cards for his response. I was in Perth when Hugh Sproat was having a snowball fight with the 'Well fans during the game. I was at a Stirling Albion game where we chatted to the linesman and ended up persuading him not to flag Willie Irvine offside. That's the kind of experience you need to savour as a 'Well fan, because despite the McCall years and brief success under McGhee the first time, most seasons are rank rotten.

That's because we still miss Vigurs.

Not to the press, certainly. But that's true for all managers these days. You could write the script for most post-match interviews a few weeks in advance.

I remember your thoughts on Higdon, too. Not a fan of the big man before his record breaking season. Moult is a young striker who has had 6 months at a struggling club. His tally isn't too bad, considering.

This. Like all managers, he has good points and bad points, but one of his biggest flaws is when he overthinks tactics and tries to be too cute with his selections.

Regardless of McGhee in or out, if the club is "poisoned" then it's been poisoned for the last 40+ years as historically we are involved on bottom half relegation struggles more often than any other kind of season. Look at McLean's league record to see what is typical for a manager many regarded as successful.

No way supporting McGhee's line up today, but I don't care who is on the park, they need to keep playing until the final whistle. Good teams finsh the game in the opponents' half.

Today doesn't look too much of a change, so hoping he has learned from the past.

Aye, it started in Nancy with his "no shots on goal" curve ball.

Hope McGhee isn't overthinking it again. We have proven over the years how bad we are playing one up front, but even if we weren't, I'd have thought Moult was a better choice for that role.

Exactly. I read this at the end of last year - sad, but in no way unexpected. http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/scottish-football-learned-nothing-from-barry-hearn-1-3949710

I wish I was that near 40.

Certainly not unusual for there to be public and private stories, but I'd be surprised if the public story would be a blatant lie.

Only until Vigurs celebrates his hat-trick with a flute and an orange flare.

I'll miss all the "come back to haunt us" chat, but OK. I'm in.

I'm generally in the pro-Ainsworth camp, but he didn't do himself any favours last night with his ball watching at the goal.

We're not creating right now. I've never been in the teary eyed Faddy fan club, but we could do with someone in midfield who can find a pass. Our options there are limited to Faddy, Thomas and Skippy.

If we get McFadden back on the books, I'd be tempted to try playing him a little deeper and add some creativity to our mid.

For letting off a flare or smoke bomb, I agree. Once you start breaking bail conditions or banning orders or whatever, you are asking for trouble though. The courts will take a harder line as they feel they cut you a break the first time and you didn't take that chance.

The Daily Mail comments section is down the hall on your right.

Just watched the highlights and the conditions were awful. A draw probably would have been a fair result, but it was a terrible goal to lose. Speculative high ball, weak headed clearance and Ainsworth ball watching on the wrong side of his man.

That's kind of my point. I'd much rather have a Davie Cooper, Bobby Russell (or Vigurs) that never makes a tackle than another guy "with a good engine". I thought Vigurs was just fine with us and would have been happy to see him stay. I'm in the "build team teams around your creative players" camp and don't care if they never put in a tackle.

So you want a box-to-box, hard working, defensive, creative midfielder? I'd settle just for creative right now, but they're in demand too.

Sounds like we need to work on playing the full game and, even more importantly, finishing out the game in the opponents' half of the park. Basic stuff.

He wasn't - he was about 3rd choice behind better players.