Scottish Cup - Fifth Round Motherwell V Inverness Caley Thistle Sat 6 Feb 15:00

[mfc]

Post match is on YouTube.

 

Seemingly we aren't good enough to go with two strikers against Inverness. Killie game was always the priority.

not good enough too play 2 strikers at home against inverness holy fuck meghee doesn't half talk some shite,were skint and need every penny we can get this game should have been the priority and put all our focus on getting into the next round as next week will take care of itself.i doubt any of the clowns running the club will have a word with mcghee tonight about just how important a cup run would have been for us.if we lose next week after mcghee saying that game takes priority then i hope he does the right thing and fucks off.

[Yassin]

What would be really funny, I think, is if we start calling him "Mark McGhego". Just a suggestion.

[BigWeegieDosser]

What would be really funny, I think, is if we start calling him "Mark McGhego". Just a suggestion.

I would run that by him first, in case you're not understanding it properly

[Andy_P]

Completely scunnered.

 

Part of me thinks that yet again we're on the receiving end of an outcome that is undeserved and harsh, yet at the same it's difficult to shake off the belief that we got our just desserts for our manager's lack of ambition.

 

Now don't get me wrong we had plenty of possession, we will have wracked up quite a number of completed passes - largely unchallenged in noweheresville in the centre of the park barely a chance of note was created. McDonald worked his arse off but it was soul destroying to see him having to come almost to the half way line on occasion to try to take possession.

 

Little surprise that our goal when it did come (completely out of the blue) it was through a set-piece - a wonderfully well worked set-piece admittedly.

 

Now I'm pretty supportive of McGhee but that was how I might expect us to set up away to Inverness not at home and not in a Cup game. And it wouldn't surprise me if wasn't as much obstinance as tactical preference that when we did score he had Moult sit down and then return to a single striker in the closing stages.

 

I can't criticise the team for effort but when you go out the Cup I want us to go out knowing we've chucked everything at the tie and given ourselves the best chance we could have of progressing. I don't feel we did that today.

 

Very very deflating.

[eddiemunster]

LOUD NOISES!!!!

[Ya Bezzer!]

Has it gone over everyone's head that we played one up front every week until McGhee came in?

[Yassin]

Has it gone over everyone's head that we played one up front every week until McGhee came in?

Imo, the problem wasn't the one upfront. Our midfield was completely anonymous in an attacking sense, and somehow got worse when Lasley went off.

[something else]

Has it gone over everyone's head that we played one up front every week until McGhee came in?

And how did that all workout??

[BigWeegieDosser]

I wish someone had shown Pearo the" How to play in the number 10 role"

Clearly no idea how to do it, glaringly apparent to everyone except the Omniscient One

[steelboy]

I don't think the problem was the 4-5-1 today.

 

The problem is that every single time we've made a sub in the last few months we've got worse. I thought we should have stuck with the 4-5-1 but swapped Pearson and McDonald for Ainswoth and Moult.

[weeyin]

Exactly! There's no point in listening to anything McGhee says.

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.

[CoF]

I don't think the formation or lineup was necessarily a problem today. It was our inability to pass and move. Too many players isolated on the ball, and limited movement off it. Gomis and Mcdonald always looking to move the ball quickly but wih zero options. Could see they were getting frustrated.

[weeyin]

Imo, the problem wasn't the one upfront. Our midfield was completely anonymous in an attacking sense, and somehow got worse when Lasley went off.

That's because we still miss Vigurs.

[Yassin]

That's because we still miss Vigurs.

Won't lie, I was disappointed with Iain today. Looked like his back was playing up though to be fair.

[ropy]

I thought we did ok for most of the game today. Better team first half and Law cost us the goal.

 

Second half we were poor and got a goal from nowhere. After that we have to go for the win but McGhee made an arse of it. If you decide to make a sub there is surely a reason behind it, why would you change because of a jammy set piece? It's like tossing a coin about whether you should put a sub on.

It was certainly Law's man, unfortunately he was moving one way when the ball went behind him. I thought the keeper could have done better to stop the ball going across the goal, good finish by McManus though

[Kmcalpin]

When I heard the line up I feared the worst. You didn't have to be a nuclear physicist to predict:

 

MacDonald would be isolated - Tick

MacDonald would receive short high balls - Tick

Midfield would be dogs dinner - Tick

Johnson would receive shocking service and be double marked - Tick

We'd defend too deep and pay the price - Tick

 

The formation was designed to nullify Inverness nothing more nothing less and it failed. At the back Hammell and Law had very poor games and McManus wasn't at all impressive. the midfield was all over the place and it was clear that Gomis and Lasley can't play in the same set up. Gomis had an ok game but no more. Lasley had a poor game and kept putting colleagues in trouble with poor passes. Pearson was played out of position. Cadden had a good first half but largely disappeared in the second. Johnson received shocking service - Steve Hammell's first 2 passes to him were 3/4 yards behind him. MacDonald all too often was isolated and at times played in 6 man midfield - a home cup tie I ask you!

 

The changes made were far too late. A number of sub options were available to McGhee - Lasley could have been subbed at half time; Johnson could have been taken off at half time replaced by Dom Thomas (someone who can open up tight defences); and Cadden ought to have been hooked early in the second 45. Overall our defending was poor with both full backs having an off day and we conceded far too many avoidable free kicks and corners. Inverness's winning goal was a shocker - the lad advanced and advanced as we backed off looked up and saw a virtually empty goal (as we all did) and picked his spot. A typical Motherwell goal.

 

Inverness worked far harder and defended better and deserved their win. Some bright spots though - no points lost today; Cadden had a great first half and is progressing and our goal came straight off the training ground.

[jamie]

Did we miss Grimshaw - tick

Did we try our upmost to sign him - tick

Did we have a back up plan???

[Jacol]

It was certainly Law's man, unfortunately he was moving one way when the ball went behind him. I thought the keeper could have done better to stop the ball going across the goal, good finish by McManus though

Yes I thought keeper made a mess of first goal and thought he was slow to get across for second goal too.

For my tuppence worth on formation, I would have brought Moult on for Pearson, dropping McDonald deeper into the number 10 role. I would have taken Johnson off (as he looked disinterested) and replaced with Ainsworth.

[Ya Bezzer!]

I thought we were marginally the better team today. Certainly wasn't much in it. Except for a worldie 25 yarder of course.

 

McDonald's header goes in instead of hitting the bar and that last minute shot sails over the bar and we would have been through.

 

We are losing by the thinnest of margins right now and we've not had any luck at all.

 

The reaction during the game, to the defeat and to the manager is completely ridiculous.

 

What do people really expect McGhee to do? He's taken over a poor team and his predecessor spent all the money in catastrophically bad summer transfer deals.

 

This season is all about incremental improvements and staying out of the relegation places. The team HAS improved, we are going through a bad spell results wise, but before that there was a good spell and with the exception of Hearts I've yet to see a team out perform us on the day.

 

A few weeks ago Motherwell won at Celtic Park now there are McGhee must go threads. We didn't lose to Albion Rovers today, we didn't lose to a part time Icelandic team squandering a 2 goal lead and we didn't get beaten 5-0 of Accies. We lost narrowly against a team that is basically better than ours.

 

Some people need to take a good hard look at themselves and grow up.

[Tweed]

Johnson could have been taken off at half time replaced by Dom Thomas (someone who can open up tight defences);

 

Another example of those not in the team having their ability magnified. Thomas has had one good game and that was against East Fife when he came on when he probably looked better than he was as the other ten were awful.

 

I agree with the rest of your post though. I thought the shape worked reasonably well and when they got in it was due to errors rather than the shape failing us. But as well as nullifying them it also nullified us. I think the formation may have worked if we could have got Cadden and Johnson as far up as McDonald but they always seemed to be deep of him unless he fell back in which case he hit a cul-de-sac.

 

My opinion is that the shape maybe wasn't far wrong but it needed Ainsworth on the right, and Cadden in the middle in lieu of Lasley (or Gomis but on today, Gomis is a better player).

[Welldaft Mk1]

I thought we were marginally the better team today. Certainly wasn't much in it. Except for a worldie 25 yarder of course.

 

McDonald's header goes in instead of hitting the bar and that last minute shot sails over the bar and we would have been through.

 

We are losing by the thinnest of margins right now and we've not had any luck at all.

 

The reaction during the game, to the defeat and to the manager is completely ridiculous.

 

What do people really expect McGhee to do? He's taken over a poor team and his predecessor spent all the money in catastrophically bad summer transfer deals.

 

This season is all about incremental improvements and staying out of the relegation places. The team HAS improved, we are going through a bad spell results wise, but before that there was a good spell and with the exception of Hearts I've yet to see a team out perform us on the day.

 

A few weeks ago Motherwell won at Celtic Park now there are McGhee must go threads. We didn't lose to Albion Rovers today, we didn't lose to a part time Icelandic team squandering a 2 goal lead and we didn't get beaten 5-0 of Accies. We lost narrowly against a team that is basically better than ours.

 

Some people need to take a good hard look at themselves and grow up.

Totally agree.

 

Never read so much pish in all my life in some posts on this thread. Although come to expect it.

 

We are all hurting and this has been one tough week, but it did not take long for the panty wetters to come out in full force.

 

Inverness are a better side right now and had we gone with two up top, would have run over us in midfield. Nothing wrong with the managers tactics. Frustrating yes, but again nothing in the game and we come away with nothing.

 

Would like to see challenge on Gomis again, who by and large had a very good game. Guy pings it in from 30 yards in 91 minutes. He would miss that 9 times out of 10.

 

Would rather trust McGhee than most would be tactical experts on here. Only difference is they cannot be judged on their expertise. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

McGhee has made mistakes and will do so again, but I do not blame him for the last 3 results.

[MelvinBragg]

Would rather trust McGhee than most would be tactical experts on here. Only difference is they cannot be judged on their expertise. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

McGhee has made mistakes and will do so again, but I do not blame him for the last 3 results.

We're entitled to our opinions as are you. It's not hindsight to criticise the lineup or tactics if people are questioning the wisdom of it in the queue to get into the game.

 

You may not blame McGhee but the buck stops with him and I'm sure he's aware of this although you wouldn't know it from his interviews...

[Welldaft Mk1]

Yes and my opinion is that I would rather entrust the Motherwell team to Mark McGhee than many on here who are criticising him...

[MFCL84]

For me, there wasn't much between the teams today. I actually feel that Motherwell were the slightly better side.

It is worrying that in a Scottish cup tie we seemed to set out to stifle the opposition rather than impose our own game on them. The result was that we didn't have any threat. It seemed like we were playing for a draw for most of the game. Even when we got back to 1-1 there was an opportunity to use the momentum and drive on to try to win it, but it was decided to stick rather than twist.

Just a very disappointing day.

[Wellarmy]

Yes I thought keeper made a mess of first goal and thought he was slow to get across for second goal too.

For my tuppence worth on formation, I would have brought Moult on for Pearson, dropping McDonald deeper into the number 10 role. I would have taken Johnson off (as he looked disinterested) and replaced with Ainsworth.

Too slow for the winner? No fuckin chance, absolute worldy of a strike