star sail

I love the Onthefringes posts. Reminds me of Johnny the shoe shine guy from Police Squad or that scene from Oceans 12 when Robbie Coltrane winds up Matt Damon. Thing is I get caught every time when OTF posts. I'm shouting to my family 'OTF is posting. He (she?) has a scoop..... Oh no (s)he doesn't!! It adds to the forum for me and I would love to know what connection OTF has with the club so to that extent the posts work. Football forums should be about intrigue and rumour. OTF has it nailed! Even the username is filled with mystery!! Anyway, is Louis Moult signing or not?

When I read that description of a player I immediately thing of Phil O Donnell in his first spell as a youngster. Maybe ball playing was his weakness in that description but a back tracking box to box dynamo he certainly was. A player that we were lucky to have.

It was a great goal!! My memory of that day was of Motherwell putting in another one of those 'worst performances ever' that they tend to do every single season for as long as I can remember. It was a game of utter dross punctuated by a moment of magic. If you pay to go to the football to be entertained and the team you are there to support offer absolutely nothing by way of quality or entertainment then why not enjoy the one piece of magic the game has to offer. I don't remember clapping and I don't remember anybody around me clapping either but at least it was a moment of entertaining football in what was otherwise a shipwreck of a football match. You pay your money and enjoy the football the way you want to enjoy it.

Sounds good to me. Modern managers have to be polished when talking with the press and have to be able to motivate players that carry far more influence than they ever used to (Gallagher possibly being an example). I suppose this is the velvet glove bit. On the other hand it (pardon the pun) every player in that dressing room has to know who the boss is and who has the control. The iron fist. I suppose Alex Ferguson was the perfect example of this. He was the alpha male amongst alpha males mixing the hard man with the father figure. Who else could gave managed the likes of Cantona and Keane? And who else would have backed Cantona in the manner Ferguson did. Ofcourse GA is no Alex Ferguson but I like the iron fist in a velvet glove analogy.

This makes very enjoyable reading. GA has done everything that has been asked of him since arriving and but for very small margins, we could have been in a Cup semi final as well. I don't get the feeling that Alexander has been universally accepted yet but you cannot argue with the facts. Well done to the manager and the players.

The biggest criticism of Alexander from Salford fans was that he is too negative tactically particularly when his teams go in front. This was evident at Accies. It has been a very strange season in so many ways. The season started with high hopes. The opinion was that our squad of players was strong and I think the fact that we have pretty much matched the 3rd best team in Scotland over 390 mins of football suggests that the initial optimism was not without foundation. This team have underachieved this season and something about the teams mental approach to the season as a whole has to be questioned. Alexander has brought league safety, a reasonable cup showing and what seems to be more resilience to the side. For now, I am happy with that. I think as Motherwell fans we tend to forget about the dross we watch year in and year out under every manager. The optimists in us remember the good performances like it is the norm. Let's see what Alexander can do with his own team next year. As far as this term goes, I would have biten a hand off to be in the position we see ourselves in this evening back in February. Still feel a bit gutted tonight all the same!

My gut feeling is that he was injured. In that regard it has been very unfortunate timing. I think we can say with some small amount of confidence however that a clause that did exist no longer does. Naive as it may be the problem for me is that the Club Captain appears to have renaiged on an agreement. It may be an old fashioned belief but being a man of your word should be an important attribute of a club captain. Leading by example, putting the interests of the team above personal interest etc. By doing this the worst that would have happened for Gallagher is that he played another season for Motherwell. A sacrifice maybe but not of the highest order (appropriate topic for Easter weekend). At best, play well in the Euro's and he would probably get his big move anyway, contract extension or not. I read somebody argue earlier that any one of us would do the same in his position. I would like to think I would not. Not because I am any kind of shining light but because I was brought up to belief that if you agreed to something, you did it! As a club captain and as a leader I don't think he will be a loss but for a team like Motherwell his qualities as a player will be. Regarding Scotland, I would love to see him play. How often to we get to see two Motherwell players in a Euro bound Scotland team?

It shows the importance of the last few wins. It would all be far to close for comfort otherwise. Fantastic result but I am left feeling what might have been this season. There is nobody outwith the OF to fear in that top six but it was not to be. Not over the line yet but it would be some sting in the tail if we ended up in the bottom two now. Another Saturday evening to enjoy. Have a good one all!!!

I agree. I would like to see the same back two that started last week. They deserve it on merit and it is a simple way to reward good performance. Gallagher looked rusty when he came on. It is a strong position to be in to have Gallagher on the bench should one of the two be having a poor game. I suspect from Alexander's comments in the pre-match interview that Gallagher will start however. Regarding the match, if they turn up with the attitude of last week I think we will win. Turn up thinking they are superstars once more, they will lose.

I don't want to speak for dennyc but I think it just means that all players do not get treated equally. Vigurs was a wage thief if memory serves me correctly. He had a back problem and some fans did not believe it was real. Polworth is the current wage thief. Hastie was a traitor. Ainsworth only tried near contract extension time. Others were imposters. The list goes on and on. You just need to look at the comments over the last month regarding Roberts, Magloire, Lamie and Crawford from the starting 11 yesterday and you get the idea. Maybe the point is that Gallagher is being shown a benefit of doubt that others would not be afforded. I would like to think that all the players and managers would be given the benefit of the doubt so I am pleased if Gallagher is being given that benefit. edit: sorry dennyc you just beat me to it.

Great result and could not have asked for much more with results elsewhere. Saturday eve, beers chilling nicely. Enjoy a victorious Sat night everyone. It has been a while.

Indeed. I thought Motherwell were the better team at Easter Road although that team included Turnbull. Hibs and Aberdeen are not miles ahead of any team in our division so there is nothing to fear. It is a bit of a Cup final for us in the sense that a win I think would (almost) ensure our safety this season. It would be a massive boost for us and a huge blow to the teams below. Having said that I would be very happy with a draw.

Thank you.

The BBC article that suggests that 32 /33 points would be enough (not sure how to post link) works on the basis of form to date of all the bottom teams (that is my interpretation anyway). I think it is natural to worry that our season long form will not improve whilst the form of the bottom three will. The reality is that for all four teams the season long form will not change that much leaving Motherwell in the driving seat. Generally the league table does not lie by this point in the season. That does not account howeverfor a team finding form that they have not found all season . That Accies/ Kilmarnock and RC will all find form that has alluded them all season in highly unlikely. I have a nagging doubt however that RC and Killie in particular just might. It is this nagging doubt that keeps us on tenter hooks. I suppose we could try to be positive and say that it will be Motherwell that will find that illusive form. Our point average is one point per game (just about). Keep that up and we will be safe but it will not be pretty.

Great result. The whole dynamic changes again a suddenly we look like a team who could sneak a result or two before the split. The BBC analysis of a few days back would have it that three points will see us safe. I think we may need just a few more than that to be sure. Ross County's epic run under Jim McIntyre in the Baraclough playoff seasons shows that it is possible for bottom sides to put heroic runs together. My wish for tonight (forlorn as it is) is that the branding of players being pish and shite before they have even kicked a ball be tempered somewhat. Jordan Whyte is proof that given a chance these boys can perform and make a difference. Roberts tonight, Lamie tonight the same. They are not professional football players for no reason. A good night all round.

I always stay out of the chat about formations because I know nothing about it (and very little about the rest) but this seems like a really sensible option for this evening. They say that two banks of four is hard to break down (and we need to become hard to break down). Johnston would have cover from O'Donnell who in turn would provide an attacking threat. As was mentioned, he looked good when going forward with Scotland. The rest of the team picks itself given the threadbare nature of the current situation.

I agree 100% with this. I think what we see as lack of commitment, lack of effort, poor attitude is simply a lack of confidence. I think Long and Polworth are in that category almost certainly this season and it does not take much to filter through a team. It is a vicious circle that can be difficult to get out of. Think of playing a game of 5 a side with your mates. One week everything comes off, you see passes clearly and make decisions without thought. The next week small hesitations make you look like a clown. Multiple that feeling by a factor of 10/100 and you have the pressures of the professional football player who in fractions of seconds is making decisions than can make him look like a superstar or a total dud. The beauty of football is that a fraction of a second can cultivate a moment of genius or a career changing mistake. They say that dreams last just a few seconds. In football, in these blinks of an eye, one players dream can be another players nightmare.

It has taken a while but I have finally laughed at a Grizzly joke. After a shit weekend maybe this signals the start of a bright new dawn.

That article makes for interesting reading but I can't really see that a win and a draw this far out from the end of the season can ensure safety. Assuming it is, it is hard to see where the four points will come from pre-split. Tommy Wright will have Kilmarnock in better shape by the time we play them again, Hibs are going well as are St Mirren and Livi. In football though results can come from nowhere and sometimes when you least expect it. Who would have thought Accies would have beat us 4-1 last week? So a win mid-week is by no means impossible and one win, whenever it comes between now and the end of the season would go a long way to ensuring safety. So the question for me is will we get one win between now and the split regardless of who it is against? Sadly I think not. There is just too much wrong at the moment to see a change in fortune any time soon. I think we will be looking at a couple of very tense post split head to heads to see us over the line. I have only just recovered from the Rangers play-off drama. I am not looking forward to going through it all again.

LOL Steelboy. If Gallagher had signed a 3 year deal and had been a dud you would have been the first on here complaining about why Burrows had committed the club to a 3 year deal. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. That aside, I am struggling to see your point. Talking hypothetically (because we do not know the circumstances in this specific case) you seem to be arguing that it is Alan Burrows fault when: a player signs in good faith (my word is my bond...!) a contract with Motherwell and then months or a year later realises that, due to a good spell of form, the contract no longer suits his needs 100%. The player refuses to play, potentially jepordising the future of that club (holding the club to ransom you could argue) until such times as the contract is amended in his favour. If that is your argument, then it seems to me, that it gives license to every future Motherwell player with a sob story, to renege on a contract, rendering the club completely helpless. Player power in the extreme I would think and a genuine recipe for disaster (if disaster has not struck already).

Watching GA's post match interview, what strikes me is that he has aged somewhat over the last month. I think I would be placed in the happy clapper camp because I tend to argue for the managers we have. This comes from a base point of recognising how tough it is to be a manager at any football club but particularly a club like Motherwell. I think the strain on GA's face tells it's own story there. Replacing managers is not an easy fix. My other main reason for generally backing managers is that I am no fan of player power. The Gannon saga was mentioned a few pages back and whilst I will admit to losing the argument then regarding Gannon being a decent manager, I still believe that something was rotten then regarding one or two of the senior players behaviour. Possibly the same could be said about Baraclough's last month in charge. It lightning striking again? Possibly. We will never know the full story but again the current situation has a stench about it that is becoming an all to familiar theme at Motherwell. For my money this squad of players are more than capable of staying in this division and since the first ball was kicked in August, they have constantly underachieved. I have said a good few times before that in August, I don't think I heard anybody on this board saying we had a poor squad of players, infact, it was quite the opposite. If Declan Gallagher is refusing to play for contract reasons then I don't think we have to look any further for reasons why all is not well in the dressing room. If your club captain is refusing to play it is bound reflect in the other players. Given however that this is sheer speculation I am going to assume for now that he is genuinely injured and will be back soon. Looking at the positives, it is always small margins between success and failure as this particular team has shown repeatedly this season. As it stands we have two Scotland internationalists who we must assume, will be highly motivated to play in the Euro's this summer. This has to be to Motherwell's advantage no matter what else may be going on in the background. A rested invigorated Alan Campbell would also make a big difference to this team. I also believe that if Christopher Long could score a few goals we would have a transformed striker on our hands. I believe his issues lie in a lack of confidence rather than any inherent poor attitude. The enigma for me is Polworth? A good player who is visibly showing signs of being in the huff. Get him switched on and suddenly the team looks strong again. It is the very, very difficult job of a Motherwell manager to get all the pieces of the jigsaw in place.

No it was just based on a comment Craigan made on BBC Radio Scotland. He was commenting on the lack of fight in the team. I think he was talking in general terms but he did say that not liking he manager is not a reason for a lack of effort.

Well blind optimism did not work. It is the lack of fight that is the biggest concern. Craigen said on the radio 'you don't need to like the manager but you still have to try' or words to that affect. I hope he was speaking in general terms and not specifically about the players feelings towards GA. Very difficult to find the positives right now. I suppose it is only football so I hope everyone can enjoy there Sat eve just the same. Wednesday now becomes another huge game.

Sounds like we are beat before we kick a ball? Another way to look at it is that it gives the fringe players a chance to stake a claim. You don't get paid as a professional football player if you are a total dud!! These players should be capable of stepping in. Campbell needs a rest so whether enforced or by choice it is maybe no bad thing in the longer term that he is getting a chance to rest. Somebody said we have not won on a Saturday since October, well get the beers chilling in the fridge cause I think we are winning this one. 2-1 Motherwell.

........and relax!!! Great win and just might represent a turning point in the mentality of the team. On Alan Campbell, he needs a rest. I read that Callum McGregor at Celtic has played more minutes in the last few seasons than any other outfield player in Europe. His performances have been going backwards as a result. Given Campbell’s U21 commitments, he cannot be far behind. I have read a few comments about Polworth too. He is a good player. I would rather see him in our team as not. He made a mistake on Saturday. It happens particularly under the circumstances the team finds itself in. A motivated Polworth is an asset to this team. Hopefully GA can work his magic. Another huge game next week. Deep breath...