Motherwell v Ross County 14/01/23

[smiddy]

2 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Hammell does have options. Assuming he sticks with the same set up  and he doesn't have to,  he could change personnel. Maybe in a minority of one here  but I didn't think Johnston played well today. McGinn could have played RB. Blaney could have replaced Lamie. There's 2 options for starters. Cornelius could have started in MF as could Tierney. Spittal could have been dropped. 

A few options there.

heres a good option Kmcalpin        why dont we just get the FECKIN DEFENDERS TO DEFEND , seems a simple answer , but we are motherwell saft as shite 

[Dossertillidie2]

17 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

Hammell does have options. Assuming he sticks with the same set up  and he doesn't have to,  he could change personnel. Maybe in a minority of one here  but I didn't think Johnston played well today. McGinn could have played RB. Blaney could have replaced Lamie. There's 2 options for starters. Cornelius could have started in MF as could Tierney. Spittal could have been dropped. 

A few options there.

So blaney is a replacement for lamie who I would say over the course of the season is head and shoulders above sol (despite lamie not being at his best)

cornelius has started on a number of occasions then been accused of being too similar to goss/slatt. 
 

when played along with those two we then have no alternative option on the bench to ignite some energy which is what Cornelius can give you 

[FirParkCornerExile]

7 hours ago, Richie said:

Solholm 🤦‍♂️

Fuck me

He should never play another game for us again. He's truly fuckin horrendous.

[grizzlyg]

Referee was David Dickinson, he made a right bargain hunt of some of his decisions today 

[grizzlyg]

6 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

He should never play another game for us again. He's truly fuckin horrendous.

Yep, I am sorry but how many more goals is he going to cost us before the penny drops 

[wellfan]

9 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

He should never play another game for us again. He's truly fuckin horrendous.

Lamie is just as crap. Both need dropped. 

[FirParkCornerExile]

1 minute ago, wellfan said:

Lamie is just as crap. Both need dropped. 

I wouldn't disagree but we can't drop both and Sol has been the worst of the two .

[mfc]

8 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

He should never play another game for us again. He's truly fuckin horrendous.

There was a few game spell there where I thought he might be a decent option for us(shows what I know)but now my thinking is he's a total bombscare,last week was the final straw for me,his positional sense is non existent.i really hope the plan is for us to sign another centre half,if blaney isnt going to be an improvement on either sol or lamie then we are in serious bother.

[supermarv]

For people defending lamie okay fair enough he’s slightly better than Sol at the moment but remember he was a back up that by luck found himself in the team. He struggles to even “do a job” for me he’s not a SPFL premiership standard defender. Very limited ability with the ball and slow as a week in jail Charles Dunne 10x the player and he was an average premiership player that a manager got the best out of because he had good attributes. For example last week Penney switched off for hibs second, ball over the top, any decent centre half should be over covering him for the ball in behind but he’s too slow off the mark and even slower when gets going. After what I said about Blaney earlier regards to being not good enough it came from KVV (apparently taking a dislike to him) as Blaney bullied him in training in a session… outside looking in with comments about Slattery earlier we have a team full of egos and stinking attitudes. 

[pretzel]

In regards to Lamie I think we can all admit we fell for it hook, line and sinker. He was honking for like 18 months but found himself back in favour due to injuries and then enjoyed a bit of form around the time he agreed a pre contract with Dundee. It's a shame to see him revert to normal.

The worrying thing is no matter the combination in centre defence since the first game this season we have been throwing the ball literally in our own net, since that weak headed back pass by Mugabi against Sligo it has been been comic cut defending at times and the whole defence has been culpable. 

I thought it was a tough watch today due to the conditions. I enjoyed the marauding runs of young Johnson, it would have been nice to see him bury that effort in the first half. I thought Crankshaw done alright, certainly and upgrade on Shields. The ref was quite poor, every time a county player screamed and hit the deck was enough to warrant a free kick. Obviously it was powderpuff but it looked like Callachan punched Goss in the back when he reacted to getting his shirt pulled. 

Anyway I think the biggest frustration over the last few games has been we had the chance to bring Hibs right into the mix and today we could have been 6 points clear of County with a game in hand. 

Hopefully next week proves to be a positive distraction. We're better on our travels tbf.

[joewarkfanclub]

Didnt see the game yesterday but listened on Sportsound. The weather conditions were truly atrocious, but Ross County appeared to cope with them better than we did. That said, they didnt have a single shot at goal in the first half whereas we created 4 or 5 very good chances.

I was extremely relieved when we got the goal, and from that point we really should be seeing out the game, but more poor defending has once again cost us the 3 points. This is where our biggest problem lies. We have scored more goals than the teams above us and conceded fewer. But individual errors are killing us in games.

We just cant keep going on like this.

Ive defended Stevie Hammell up until now because defensively he hasnt had any options to change the personnel until we got to the window. 

Young Blaney has been brought in, and whilst it might have seemed a risk to throw him in, in such high pressure games, he must surely start against Arbroath. For me, Sol has to make way. He cost us again yesterday with his poor decision making and lack of awareness.

I also hope that there is another defender in the pipeline as Lamie was poor again yesterday as well.

If he isnt going to change the personnel, he must change the system to make us harder to beat. I know he put McGinn in midfield yesterday to try and protect them, but ultimately it was a ball in behind that did for us which is absolutely criminal.

With the new faces coming in Stevie has to show he is willing to make the tough decisions that will save our season and that starts with a must win on Saturday against Arbroath.

A cup win can breed confidence. But we need to be aware of what we are going into and be ready for it. 

[wellsince75]

17 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

Didnt see the game yesterday but listened on Sportsound. The weather conditions were truly atrocious, but Ross County appeared to cope with them better than we did. That said, they didnt have a single shot at goal in the first half whereas we created 4 or 5 very good chances.

I was extremely relieved when we got the goal, and from that point we really should be seeing out the game, but more poor defending has once again cost us the 3 points. This is where our biggest problem lies. We have scored more goals than the teams above us and conceded fewer. But individual errors are killing us in games.

We just cant keep going on like this.

Ive defended Stevie Hammell up until now because defensively he hasnt had any options to change the personnel until we got to the window. 

Young Blaney has been brought in, and whilst it might have seemed a risk to throw him in, in such high pressure games, he must surely start against Arbroath. For me, Sol has to make way. He cost us again yesterday with his poor decision making and lack of awareness.

I also hope that there is another defender in the pipeline as Lamie was poor again yesterday as well.

If he isnt going to change the personnel, he must change the system to make us harder to beat. I know he put McGinn in midfield yesterday to try and protect them, but ultimately it was a ball in behind that did for us which is absolutely criminal.

With the new faces coming in Stevie has to show he is willing to make the tough decisions that will save our season and that starts with a must win on Saturday against Arbroath.

A cup win can breed confidence. But we need to be aware of what we are going into and be ready for it. 

Like you I've backed Hammell and have a level of sympathy re who he can select, equally Im fed up with his tolerance to accepting repeat errors from the same players. He needs to be ruthless. 

Irrespective of how raw Blaney is he should have started before now. Sol costs goals every game, as does Lamie. 

Stevie needs to be much stronger in terms of dropping players for costing us. I'd drop both of them, it's a risk but he needs to make it crystal clear that these types of repeated errors are unacceptable. 

We need to start winning games to inject a little bit of confidence.  I'd drop several of the recent regulars for this game and beyond.  A cup run would be a welcome distraction from the league. 

Like you mentioned, anything other than a win puts serious doubt over the mgt team. 

[Spit_It_Out]

It must be utterly soul destroying for the guys that are sitting on the bench week in week out knowing they dont have a sniff of starting its hardly this team are a winning unbeaten side ffs.

And i  refuse to believe that Shane Blaney wont offer us any worse than what we have right now give the boy a bloody chance.

No excuses next week anything less than win i dont want to hear working hard all week blah blah blah its so stale no hearing same thing over and over.

[star sail]

There were a few interesting comments made on Radio Scotland's commentary yesterday that I think tells a story.

Firstly, the commentary team highlighted that Motherwell have the best away record in the league this season outwith the OF. Secondly having commended the big home support yesterday they very quickly ( from about 20 mins in) were commenting regularly about the nervousness and at points negativity coming from the home stands.

The advantage of a home game is the home support. I get a sense that a viscous circle has developed in recent seasons at FP where negativity between the team and the stands is resulting in a lack of confidence in both, perpetuating the problem still further.

Confidence is the problem at the moment. I think it accounts for the unwanted habit of throwing away results from good positions. The nervousness that comes from the stands must affect this. It is easy to sense the negativity on this forum and it seems to be a general negativity that has engulfed the club in recent years. 

What comes first the chicken or the egg? I know that the team has the responsibility to perform but for whatever reason just now there is a lack of harmony between the club and the support that is manifesting itself in a very poor run of home form.

[Kmcalpin]

9 hours ago, supermarv said:

For people defending lamie okay fair enough he’s slightly better than Sol at the moment but remember he was a back up that by luck found himself in the team. He struggles to even “do a job” for me he’s not a SPFL premiership standard defender.

A good summing up.

As for yesterday's game, once again we looked disorganised with long standing weaknesses evident. A lack of leadership both on and off the field. Central defence was poor but suffered from lack of protection from wing backs and midfield. Midfield was painfully slow and didn't really compete. No links between midfield and KVV and him and wide men. We resorted to long hopeful, aimless punts for which Lacovitti and colleagues were very grateful. 

In a way, good to see Max Johnston start but was perhaps the wrong choice yesterday. Promising going forwards but was caught out of position several times when defending. Maybe better to have started with McGinn at RB? Central defence? Deary me - Blaney must be bad but why put him on the bench then?

McGinn isn't a midfielder. Spittal was anonymous yesterday and just doesn't have the pace or engine to support his strikers. Seems to have a nailed on starting place irrespective. Better options, although different kinds of player - Cornelius and Tierney. Midfield is often about the mix of players and how they gel and yesterday again it just wasn't right and changes ought to have been made at HT, if not before. 

Up front, I thought Crankshaw looked promising but maybe ran out of gas later. McKinstry was my MOTM with some good runs and a splendid finish. Unlucky with his shot that hit the post.  Both wide men found it hard to link up with KVV who was ineffective.  Didn't quite get why Goss was subbed, unless injured, and Maguire had little positive impact.

I just hope that our young lads, like McKinstry and Johnston are getting decent coaching, although I have my doubts. 

For those who think that Hammy will be in trouble if we lose next weekend, I'd say he's already in deep trouble and is on borrowed time. With every passing week he reminds me more of Maurice Malpas.    

 

[Kmcalpin]

8 minutes ago, star sail said:

What comes first the chicken or the egg? I know that the team has the responsibility to perform but for whatever reason just now there is a lack of harmony between the club and the support that is manifesting itself in a very poor run of home form.

Maybe some merit in that. Apart from the Head of Youth Academy we still haven't filled the vacant Media post as far as I know. Could that be a factor?

[joewarkfanclub]

7 minutes ago, star sail said:

There were a few interesting comments made on Radio Scotland's commentary yesterday that I think tells a story.

Firstly, the commentary team highlighted that Motherwell have the best away record in the league this season outwith the OF. Secondly having commended the big home support yesterday they very quickly ( from about 20 mins in) were commenting regularly about the nervousness and at points negativity coming from the home stands.

The advantage of a home game is the home support. I get a sense that a viscous circle has developed in recent seasons at FP where negativity between the team and the stands is resulting in a lack of confidence in both, perpetuating the problem still further.

Confidence is the problem at the moment. I think it accounts for the unwanted habit of throwing away results from good positions. The nervousness that comes from the stands must affect this. It is easy to sense the negativity on this forum and it seems to be a general negativity that has engulfed the club in recent years. 

What comes first the chicken or the egg? I know that the team has the responsibility to perform but for whatever reason just now there is a lack of harmony between the club and the support that is manifesting itself in a very poor run of home form.

I did think that myself yesterday listening to the game.

What I would say though is that these things can change very quickly.

I think most fans are desperate for the team to do well and in particular for Hammy to do well. But the way things have been going those fans go quiet quite quickly and all you end up hearing are the more negative voices.

All it will take is a couple of wins at home and a move up the table for the majority to get back on board the bus. Confidence is an issue with the fans just as much as it is with the players.

[joewarkfanclub]

15 minutes ago, Kmcalpin said:

For those who think that Hammy will be in trouble if we lose next weekend, I'd say he's already in deep trouble and is on borrowed time. With every passing week he reminds me more of Maurice Malpas.    

From my point of view, I was meaning more with the board than the fans.

I accept that a lot of fans already want rid and ultimately the pressure from them will be telling.

But Ive never thought there was any chance of the board sacking him before the window and giving him the chance to fix this mess.

Unfortunately, we are now in the window. We now have 3 players in and possibly a couple more to come.

He cant lose to Arbroath, especially if he goes same again, now that he has a few options to change it up.

I do accept that even if we beat Arbroath the league results have to improve as beating Arbroath should be expected (although not taken for granted).

 

[grizzlyg]

There is negativity in the stands and yes some right wallopers that shout at anything but I feel the team also have a part to play. Yesterday difficult to judge as conditions horrendous.

I want Hammy to turn this around but he isn't doing himself many favours. Far too loyal to some players who clearly should be dropped, we can all see it but for some reason he can't or is it a case he is too nice a guy to be a manager?

Arbroath game is huge and a defeat could be the end for Hammy but let's not think about that scenario yet, let's see how next week turns out.

Blaney has to start, it can't be any worse than what we currently have. I am not a Sol fan though he did make 2 good late blocks yesterday, Lamie has went downhill but we don't have any other options. 1 of them has to start with Blaney alongside him.

I would also throw Maldron in next week, a big 6'3 striker not a bad option against a physical Arbroath side.  COYW

[wellfan]

46 minutes ago, star sail said:

There were a few interesting comments made on Radio Scotland's commentary yesterday that I think tells a story.

Firstly, the commentary team highlighted that Motherwell have the best away record in the league this season outwith the OF. Secondly having commended the big home support yesterday they very quickly ( from about 20 mins in) were commenting regularly about the nervousness and at points negativity coming from the home stands.

The advantage of a home game is the home support. I get a sense that a viscous circle has developed in recent seasons at FP where negativity between the team and the stands is resulting in a lack of confidence in both, perpetuating the problem still further.

Confidence is the problem at the moment. I think it accounts for the unwanted habit of throwing away results from good positions. The nervousness that comes from the stands must affect this. It is easy to sense the negativity on this forum and it seems to be a general negativity that has engulfed the club in recent years. 

What comes first the chicken or the egg? I know that the team has the responsibility to perform but for whatever reason just now there is a lack of harmony between the club and the support that is manifesting itself in a very poor run of home form.

The team underperforming and continually making basic errors that lead to us losing/drawing games is nothing to do with the crowd being supportive or exasperated. The players simply aren't good enough and the manager refuses to drop those who make those continual errors. It's that simple. 

At the final whistle yesterday there was only a complete silence. No boos, no applause, just a vacuum. It spoke volumes to me. The fans have lost the will to even show emotion, and that is purely caused by having to watch the same shite make the same shite mistakes every week for months. We have only won 1 game at home all season, and the crowd has been big and buoyant for the most part, even in horrendous wintery conditions. 

[wellfan]

32 minutes ago, joewarkfanclub said:

From my point of view, I was meaning more with the board than the fans.

I accept that a lot of fans already want rid and ultimately the pressure from them will be telling.

But Ive never thought there was any chance of the board sacking him before the window and giving him the chance to fix this mess.

Unfortunately, we are now in the window. We now have 3 players in and possibly a couple more to come.

He cant lose to Arbroath, especially if he goes same again, now that he has a few options to change it up.

I do accept that even if we beat Arbroath the league results have to improve as beating Arbroath should be expected (although not taken for granted).

 

For me there is another concern. That is, if we beat Arbroath and he drags us over the line to maintain our Premiership status, his soft demeanour and continual rookie mistakes don't exactly inspire me with confidence for the longer term. I don't want him sacked, but I fear accepting the cheap and untested option has destined us to a future of fighting for our Premiership lives every season until the inevitable. 

[joewarkfanclub]

12 minutes ago, wellfan said:

For me there is another concern. That is, if we beat Arbroath and he drags us over the line to maintain our Premiership status, his soft demeanour and continual rookie mistakes don't exactly inspire me with confidence for the longer term. I don't want him sacked, but I fear accepting the cheap and untested option has destined us to a future of fighting for our Premiership lives every season until the inevitable. 

How about we beat Arbroath, he drags us over the line in the league, he learns from his mistakes and gets a proper summer window to get his type of player in and makes a better fist of it next season with a team that allows him to throw in and develop the odd youngster?

[Ya Bezzer!]

We need wins soon but I think at least on the ball we are playing better than we have for a while. 

For me there is a wee chink of light there and I always feel that the teams that get relegated are the teams that struggle to score.

We've score in 11 of our last 13 matches.  Scored 5 in our last 3 home matches, hit that bar twice, hit the post etc.  

Obviously we are in a tricky position but the doom merchants have us worse than we actual are.

If we'd kept 3 our 4 clean sheets in the last 15 or so games we'd probably be up around St. Mirren/Livingston/St Johnstone area of the league.

Sorting out the defence is the priority right now.  As I said last week I don't even think it's the players, it's a confidence thing.  Lamie/Johansen might not be the best around but they are capable of better and we've all seen it with our own eyes.

There is still a lot of football to be played and you might be surprised to know we haven't lost to a non city club since August.  Certainly on the evidence I've seen recently are better than Kilmarnock and at least as good as Ross County.

I think Dundee Utd might pull away but Hibs might drop down to replace them as their form is stinking.  St. Mirren also, who benefited from a lot of home games at the start of the season, and haven't been great recently.

We are going to be down in the bottom 4 for the rest of the season.  Our aim this season is anything above the automatic relegation spot.

Next weeks cup game doesn't really matter other than perhaps for confidence or financial reasons.  This season is all about staying up and everything else is a distraction.

[smiddy]

remember the year hibs went down in the playoffs to yaccies ,   well its all sounding the same,   " next game is a must win for the hibs,  next 2 games at home will see them pick up points ,  there stats are of a team to good to go down,, " from memory they only needed something like 4 points from there last 10 games ( or some stat like that )  anyway they went down ,,   well for hibs that year   see motherwell this year,,  there is just something not right somewhere at the club ,  maybe we need to bring in the legandery italian striker ,,,, FUCKDIFANO  

[Kmcalpin]

2 minutes ago, smiddy said:

remember the year hibs went down in the playoffs to yaccies ,   well its all sounding the same,   " next game is a must win for the hibs,  next 2 games at home will see them pick up points ,  there stats are of a team to good to go down,, " from memory they only needed something like 4 points from there last 10 games ( or some stat like that )  anyway they went down ,,   well for hibs that year   see motherwell this year,,  there is just something not right somewhere at the club ,  maybe we need to bring in the legandery italian striker ,,,, FUCKDIFANO  

You can add to the list "We're too good to go down".

Stevie Hammell has lost my support. I said at the turn of the year a return of 5 points from 3 "easier" games Livingston (A), Hibs (H) and (Ross County (H) was the least we should expect. We came nowhere near that with a measly 2 points.  At the end of the day, its points that count and will keep us up not playing promisingly, not hitting woodwork etc etc. Hard points. Thems what matters. Relegation would be disastrous for us.

He's a club legend and if he wasn't, the cries for his dismissal would be far louder. The club is bigger than any one individual. He seems a very decent guy and a true professional. But is that what we need? Football is a tough unforgiving business and we need someone to motivate, organise, and kick asses. His win ratio is now 26% which is a wee bit above Jim Gannon and Harri Kampmann, but just below Maurice Malpas. 

Apologies, probably the wrong thread for this post.