Ya Bezzer!

It's impossible to say what Gannon will do in terms of staying or going. I'm also wary of 'rumours' about his relationship with players behind the scenes. Better to stick to what we actually know about - the teams performances and the managers tactics - anything else is just speculation. However, if anyone knows the length of Gannon's contract I'd like to know. I'm almost sure at the time he signed a one year contract, as I remember it my eyebrows were raised by the length of contract announced in the media when he first came to the club but I've been unable to find any details on the web from a reputable source to confirm or deny that.

I forgot to add in yesterday's goals to Craigan's total but basically after all that my point still stands. Our three most experienced defenders have the best records in terms of conceding fewer goals and when we've played Hammell, Reynolds and Craigan in the same team we've kept two out of three clean sheets. (league) Hammell - 19 from 13 1.46 Craigan - 11 from 7 1.57 Reynolds - 28 from 17 1.64 Saunders - 26 from 15 1.73 Moutaouakil - 23 from 13 1.76 Hutchinson - 9 from 4 2.25 (league + domestic cup) Hammell - 21 from 14 1.50 Reynolds - 32 from 19 1.68 Craigan - 14 from 8 1.75 Saunders - 31 from 17 1.82 Moutaouakil - 28 from 15 1.86 Hutchinson - 12 from 5 2.40 Personally I think it's unfair to include cup matches because some players played against 1st Division opposition and some didn't. We should be concerned with SPL opposition because that's the league we play in. I'm not saying for a minute our defensive record is fantastic with Craigan in the team, it's not, but it is better overall. Now is a time for experienced heads.

I've been fairly critical this weekend but now I have to say things aren't THAT bad!

He didn't do much but we were woeful by that time, you couldn't expect much from him in those circumstances.

For the blame Lasley/Craigan brigade - Lasley hadn't started a game since the away match at Flamurtari Vlore. He's hardly going to be in top form pitching him into a team that's already off the boil. Likewise Craigan hadn't played at all since for two months. As for shipping goals with Craigan in the team he has the best record of any of our defenders this season. Goals conceded (league) Craigan - 8 from 7 - 1.14 goals conceded per game Hammell - 19 from 13 - 1.46 goals conceded per game Reynolds - 28 from 17 - 1.64 goals conceded per game Saunders - 26 from 15 - 1.73 goals conceded per game Moutaouakil - 23 from 13 - 1.76 goals conceded per game Hutchinson - 9 from 4 - 2.25 goals conceded per game Funny how the stats show the three most experienced defenders we have have the best record. We've also only played Reynolds, Hammell and Craigan three times in the same team in the league and we've kept two clean sheets in three of those games, losing none of them.

If you don't care about the results, only the club then you should be worried about relegation. We are struggling to get 4,000 crowds right now, basically we are depending on away fans to get us over the 4,000 mark. If we get relegated a lot of fans will knock it on the head and stop going and away supports will also fall. Income will be slashed. There is no guarantee we would get promotion the next season or even soon (just look at Dundee, St.Johnstone, St.Mirren, Dunfermline etc). I don't think many Motherwell fans lose sleep over any single defeat or even humpings, I've literally seen us beaten hundreds of times, if I did I wouldn't get much sleep but the problem here is that a lot of decent work has been undone by avoidable incompetence. I have no great hopes for Motherwell making Europe in any season frankly, I've always said that if we make the Top Six we've had an excellent season but what I don't expect is for us to throw matches away, time and time again, virtually on a weekly basis, especially when the whole future of the club could be at stake. I don't think anyone would lambast Gannon for not making Europe, for not making the Top Six but he has to show that he can do the basics right and throwing away lead after lead is not the way to do that. As for the problem undeserved expectations and criticism, well there is also a problem with undeserved praise, hero worship. Frankly too many supporters have been in some kind of thrawl to Jim Gannon, when he hasn't really done much. Gannon, unless we go into complete freefall, deserves at least a season to show us what he can do but at the same time fans must be allowed to show that we won't stand by and have our club used as a sort of experiment. Gannon increasingly worries me. He is very arrogant, stuck in his ways and stubborn. Has anyone heard him take the blame for anything? It's the press, it's the referees, it's the players - he is unaccountable to the media or the fans. When we lose it's not the tactics or the formation, there is always an excuse. That's what really worries me, not the defeats, its the fact cannot or will not accept that he might have to adapt his cosy little football coaching theories to fall into line with the real world. At the end of the day Gannon will walk away and it will be your 'club culture' that will have to pick up the pieces.

Most of the teams (down to 11th place in the league) are within 6 points of overtaking us and most of them have a game in hand. Basically if anyone below us wins a game in their next three and we lose or even draw our next two games we are going to be drawn into a real dog fight - and right now we don't look like we'd prosper if that happened. These three games will "shape our season" it either keeps us a comfortable distance away from the relegation dog fight or it doesn't. We need 4 points from the upcoming two games. No one wants to lose 5 on the trot and then have Accies at Fir Park, that has disaster written all over it. We need something against Hearts.

It's not the losing streak, its throwing points away that we should have won. We've not been being beaten, we've thrown the matches away. It's seven matches since we won, we've been leading in FIVE of them, when changes have been made that did not need to be made after which we consequently dropped points or lost the match. That's why people are angry. If we were losing these matches no one would be happy but they wouldn't be angry, a significant amount of what has happened in the last two months has been entirely avoidable, we needn't be in this position but we are. Incidentally, at this stage Maurice Malpas had 23 points, Gannon has 20.

Jennings was as bad as anyone else in the second half. No one really deserved the MotM award but if forced I'd give it to O'Brien.

Booing has little positive effect. But going 3-1 down from being 1-0 up isn't a positive situation generally. The idea that we shouldn't be allowed to voice our opinion is nonsense.

The problem is Gannon makes the same mistakes week after week. He shows no sign of learning from his mistakes. That's why people are booing.

Saunders is obviously struggling in the midst of a general collapse. No one blames him, he's a young player, he's inexperienced and he's still learning the game. However right now his game is going backwards and maybe Gannon needs to protect him a bit.

He changed the formation. We started off with a 4-4-2 and although we weren't brilliant we improved as the half went on, scored and made a few chances in the last 15 minutes or so of the first half and looked on top at that point. In the second half he changed the shaped of the team into a 4-3-3 with O'Brien switching from left midfield to the right side in a front three and moving Lasley inside, he'd been playing right midfield. After which we were completely swamped in midfield and went 2-1 down in quick time. Immediately after going 2-1 down Gannon changed it back to the 4-4-2 by bringing on Murphy to right midfield. With Murphy completely ineffective playing right, he then changed it again and brought on Humphrey and moved Murphy up front. Now neither of our strikers did very well today but taking off our Jutkiewicz, our top scorer at this point did little to cheer the crowd. Just crazy. Leave a winning team alone, PLEASE.

The boos were warrented - against Gannon. Yet again, AGAIN, Gannon made unnecessary tactical alternations at half time. Why? Seriously WHY? This is happening almost every match that I go to and its absolutely infuriating. So surprise surprise, having just come on to a game in the last 15 minutes of the first half, these COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY changes were made for who knows what reason and we were a shambles from then on. Within 15 minutes or so we'd gone from 1-0 up to 2-1 down and then Gannon changed the tactics back to that we were in the first place. Jim Gannon needs to be told he's not a tactical genius - keep it simple, don't make completely unnecessary tactical and formation changes. He's on the radio YET AGAIN blaming everyone except himself - it's the players fault apparently because they aren't good enough, well they were good enough in the first half until The Worlds Greatest Tactical Genius (HA!) changed it yet again for NO COMPREHENSIBLE REASON. Sicked and pretty anger right now. The guy in charge needs to get a grip.

Craigan and Sutton are back in the team. St. Johnstone have about six or seven players out injured including their main goal threat. No excuses today - we must win.

You are right. Off the top of my head I thought it was '78 for some reason. That puts Willie P ahead of everyone except Kirk on total goals but still behind Coyne and Arnott in league goals, in the premier league era at least.

Since the formation of the Premier League in the late 70's, David Clarkson is our fourth highest scorer after Stevie Kirk, Tommy Coyne and Dougie Arnott. Excluding cup goals Kirk has 63, Coyne 59 and Arnott 58. Including cup goals, which Kirk had an especially good record in, he is into the 80s. I wonder if anyone will ever overtake Kirkie? We'd probably struggle to keep hold of anyone that prolific before they got near the record. In order to do so someone would have to score 15 - 20 goals a season for five seasons. Not very likely without being snapped up by a bigger club!

You've got to go into a game like this with a positive frame of mind. 2-1 to 'Well.

There is something to this but I don't think its the full picture. Take the Aberdeen game for instance which was the first match O'Brien was dropped. I thought we'd suffer for dropping O'Brien but actually I thought we played pretty well in the first half. We didn't get three points because of some baffling tactical decisions by Gannon including taking off Forbes for O'Brien which at the time was completely unwarranted and which had a big negative effect on the side. Recently I think you can also say that generally we've started matches fairly well but suffered second half collapses and O'Brien has usually come on in the second half. But I agree O'Brien was probably our best player this season up to being dropped and is one of the more important players at the club when he's on form, I just don't think he's so important that you can explain the recent dip in form on his exclusion from the starting eleven.

From BBC "Motherwell could be without Giles Coke and Shaun Hutchinson for the Boxing Day encounter with St Johnstone. Midfielder Coke has a knee strain while Hutchinson is suffering from hamstring problems and faces a fitness test. "

Falkirk have been trying to do something similar to Gannon for a few seasons and it just hasn't worked for them. Lots of nice passing, hardly any goals and bundles of defeats. Even John Hughes admitted that in order to survive in the league he had to change the tactics in the last part of the season and go more direct. My fear about Gannon is that he isn't tactically flexible enough. He gets an idea and he goes with it even when it doesn't work and he won't change his stance. I'm also a bit worried about him using the club as a sort of experimentation lab where he can test out his footballing theories regardless of where it leaves the club. Gannon must not lose sight of his priorities which should be in the following order; 1) to win as many games as possible, 2) to entertain the fans. Anything else should be a byproduct of the first two.

I was going through some old stats and saw the name Andy Smith. I'd completely forgotten about him....and no wonder.

Various Uncles all supported various teams (Rangers, Hamilton, Motherwell) and would take me to games once in a while but when I was old enough to go without adult supervision I eventually plumped for my local team. As you can see I clearly made the right choice.

Especially this week! The Vadocz thing as well....seriously....the guy hardly kicked a ball for us. The period that Vadocz came to the club we miraculously got even worse than before. Yeah, great player! My Team of the Noughties GK - Gordon Marshall - Went downhill fast but had an excellent season and a half and gave probably the best single goalkeeping display I've seen in a 'Well shirt in the League Cup semi final. RB - Martyn Corrigan - No contest. DC - Stephen Craigan - Most capped international player in the clubs history and a great 'Well man. This first season back from Thistle he was outstanding, as good as anyone even the hallowed Martin/Krivokapic/Boyd etc DC - Eric Deloumeaux - Only at the club for a season but he was quality. For all those who go on about defenders needing to be giants he was 5' 9! LB - Stevie Hammell - He is taken for granted by some but that only proves how important he was to us this decade, it's hard to imagine a Motherwell without him. RW - James McFadden - My favourite Motherwell player ever. A genius, a god among men and every goal he scored was brilliance. Every one of them. Well, about 93% of them. MC - Scott Leitch - A fan and he played like it. I mean that in a good way! MC - Phil O'Donnell - Every highlight of my time supporting Motherwell O'Donnell was there, the Scottish Cup, the great mid ninties side, the League cup run, the brilliant football of McGhee's early reign. A legend. LW - Ross McCormack - I'll always remember his displays against Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee United as among the best displays I've ever seen in a 'Well shirt. We destroyed teams like I'd never seen before, and possibly will never see again. AC - Scott McDonald - After Tommy Coyne probably the best striker we've had at the club in my time. Not very popular these days but just think to THAT day... AC - David Clarkson - Tough choice between Clarkson and Porter but I think Clarkson offered a bit more versatility. Also scored 50+ goals for Motherwell which is not to be sneezed at.

Pretty much agree with this. I'm pro-Gannon generally but actually, despite the mockery, there is at least a grain of truth in most of the points made in the original post. Frankly, Gannon hasn't done much right in the last two months but he's treated like some kind of sacred cow because the rest of the league are so bad they've taken two months to catch up with a team with four league wins at Christmas with the last one in October. If there was a couple of decent sides outside of the top four in the league, which there isn't, we'd already have been further down the league. A more realistic point of view is that we have been acceptably mediocre so far this season given our pre-season fears but that could change in the coming weeks and months either in a positive or negative sense. We are entering a crucial stage of the season. The next three league games and the Inverness match will give us a better idea of just how good Gannon is.