Motherwell v Falkirk 04/04/2026

[wunderwell]

5 hours ago, ppower said:

All I will say is our record away from home against other Top 6 clubs is abysmal. He Managers tactics/selection also saw us wimp out of 2 cup competitions. The only things we can realistically win. Let's not get carried away with JBA. He has achieved nothing apart from pleasant on the eye  tippy tappy football which teams are getting wise to. There is no steel in the team. There is never plan B. He plays the same guys over and over again. Guys like Nicholson, McGee get about 10 to 15 minutes of play when the game is running away from us. Use of substitutes is not good. The only time yesterday we broke their lines was the consolation goal. Apart from that it was the usual slow pass to death build up combined with Kamikaze dithering at the back. There is nothing wrong with getting the ball forward quick but this seems anathema to JBA. So we get a Top 6 finish. The team we played yesterday also have a Top 6 finish and a winnable cup semi after getting promotion from the Championship. I would say John McGlynn has been a more effective manager than JBA. Motherwell fans need to get realistic about what has been achieved instead of drooling over passing drills.

European football is an achievement.,

We are in line to get it. Falkirk are not.

[texanwellfan]

25 minutes ago, wunderwell said:

European football is an achievement.,

We are in line to get it. Falkirk are not.

Unless they win the cup

[FirParkCornerExile]

1 hour ago, MJC said:

In fairness I would put Tommy Coyne in the legend category. He never won silverware with us but he was the spearhead of a fantastic Motherwell side and scored many a crucial goal. He was also a terrific footballer into the bargain. Likewise guys like Keith Lasley, Stephen Craigan and Stevie Hammell, all club legends in my book for the many years of great service they gave us.

I was referring to managers. 

[johnstone]

1 hour ago, MJC said:

I haven’t at any point said that we haven’t been very good this season overall. We have clearly surpassed all pre-season expectations and then some and indeed the football we have shown we are capable of playing has been the best in as long as I can remember, possibly since McGhee’s first season back in 07/08.

But nothing is black and white. There was nothing that I said earlier that wasn’t factual. We failed to win a league match until late September, throwing away a bucketload of points early season. We have a very poor record against the top six sides especially away from home. In both Cup competitions we exited in absolutely dismal fashion and the Scottish Cup tie against Aberdeen saw the manager rotate the team for no good reason. And since mid-late February we have fallen away performance and result wise and from being talked about as potential title contenders we now look like we could throw away fourth place. Now, let me be clear, even if that does happen it will still have been a very good season for us but I think while there will be a great deal of fondness for this season, Jens and the way we have played when we are at our best, there will also be a degree of “what might have been” or even possibly “what should have been”.

JBA has been very good for us in his short time and I hope we can hang onto him. But he is not a club ‘legend’ yet as was suggested and he is certainly not the next Pep Guardiola as you would think with the way some both inside and outside our support have been gushing over him. He could very well go on to be a legend of Motherwell FC but he is nowhere near that yet.

Artichoke. Cholmondely. Pedigree CHUM.

You’ve done it again! In your previous message you claimed our manager is bang average and in this one you are doing the exact same thing in pulling out stats to suit a narrative. 
 

We are clearly not going to win every game so beyond that you look at the performances and most have been very good even when we have drawn or lost. 

Stop trying to make this something it’s not. We have had an excellent season, have a great team and a very good manager. 
 

[bobbybingo]

17 minutes ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

I was referring to managers. 

Before my time, but Bobby Ancell would probably qualify as a legend to most older fans. 

[bobbybingo]

57 minutes ago, texanwellfan said:

Unless they win the cup

True. Personally, I hope they don't. Their fans seem to have a real problem with Motherwell, whether they're greetin about getting relegated at Fir Park, being refused promotion while we stayed up, or (as I read today) their keeper getting sent off in 1992 for mouthing off about a Falkirk free-kick that turned into a shy (immediately followed by a goal) for us. I suppose they had plenty of time to seethe in the lower divisions.

[Kmcalpin]

18 minutes ago, bobbybingo said:

True. Personally, I hope they don't. Their fans seem to have a real problem with Motherwell, whether they're greetin about getting relegated at Fir Park, being refused promotion while we stayed up, or (as I read today) their keeper getting sent off in 1992 for mouthing off about a Falkirk free-kick that turned into a shy (immediately followed by a goal) for us. I suppose they had plenty of time to seethe in the lower divisions.

I'll be rooting for the Pars to knock them out for these reasons. 

[MJC]

1 hour ago, johnstone said:

You’ve done it again! In your previous message you claimed our manager is bang average and in this one you are doing the exact same thing in pulling out stats to suit a narrative. 
 

We are clearly not going to win every game so beyond that you look at the performances and most have been very good even when we have drawn or lost. 

Stop trying to make this something it’s not. We have had an excellent season, have a great team and a very good manager. 
 

I think it’s you who is trying to make something of nothing.

I will say it again, this has been a very good season and JBA has been very good for us, surpassing all expectations. Obviously he is not perfect but we are never going to have the perfect manager.

A poster earlier in the thread described him as a legend, which I completely disagree with because he hasn’t been here anywhere near long enough and we don’t yet know how this season is going to pan out. We might still get Europe, we might not but whatever happens it will still have been a good season. It’s just that it could have been even better.

[wellon]

13 minutes ago, MJC said:

I think it’s you who is trying to make something of nothing.

I will say it again, this has been a very good season and JBA has been very good for us, surpassing all expectations. Obviously he is not perfect but we are never going to have the perfect manager.

A poster earlier in the thread described him as a legend, which I completely disagree with because he hasn’t been here anywhere near long enough and we don’t yet know how this season is going to pan out. We might still get Europe, we might not but whatever happens it will still have been a good season. It’s just that it could have been even better.

Have you got any other hobbies?

[MJC]

12 minutes ago, wellon said:

Have you got any other hobbies?

Sometimes I like to ride bareback through the fields with the wind in my hair. Only when the mood takes me though.

[grizzlyg]

54 minutes ago, MJC said:

I think it’s you who is trying to make something of nothing.

I will say it again, this has been a very good season and JBA has been very good for us, surpassing all expectations. Obviously he is not perfect but we are never going to have the perfect manager.

A poster earlier in the thread described him as a legend, which I completely disagree with because he hasn’t been here anywhere near long enough and we don’t yet know how this season is going to pan out. We might still get Europe, we might not but whatever happens it will still have been a good season. It’s just that it could have been even better.

Poster something I have not been called before.  I just wish I had said JBA was rank rotten, would have got less coverage.   This forum defies belief.   Been brilliant to watch all season but minute we go on a bad run its back to reality 

[wunderwell]

1 hour ago, grizzlyg said:

Poster something I have not been called before.  I just wish I had said JBA was rank rotten, would have got less coverage.   This forum defies belief.   Been brilliant to watch all season but minute we go on a bad run its back to reality 

All forums are like this. I read a lot of them. 
Celtic won the league by beating Motherwell
Celtic lost the league against Dundee United. 
Iheanacho couldn't score in a barrel of.....worst signing of all time
Goal: Iheanacho
 

[joewarkfanclub]

Nuance & perspective are wonderful things!

Clearly JBA isnt a Motherwell legend (yet), but he deserves a little more credit than he is being afforded in some quarters.

The number of draws we got in the first quarter of the season were a little disappointing given how well we played at times, but they were achieved by a manager and team trying to bed in new players and a totally new system. Mistakes were made and a few wins slipped out of our grasp. Disapppointing but understable.

However, we did slowly improve and after the League Cup semi final exit (reaching Hampden seems to have been turned into a negative) we seemed to have unlocked the secret to a water tight defence and results improved.

Our record against the top 6 is held up as a weakness this season. Yet we are undefeated against Hearts, have drawn twice against Rangers at home, lost narrowly at Ibrox after a hotly disputed penalty claim. Beaten Celtic resoundingly at Fir Park, lost twice narrowly at Parkhead in keenly contested matches, unbeaten against Hibs home & away. Only Falkirk have got the better of us. So our poor record is actually a myth if you turn it around and ask what the top 6 teams record against Motherwell is.

The Aberdeen Cup game was a sore one and Jens has to hold his hands up a little for the starting selection, but the the state of the pitch, weather and 2 red cards are at least mitigating factors.

We have broken all sorts of records this season with least goals conceded at home, clean sheets records, longest home run without a defeat, attendances etc etc.

Of course the wheels have come off a little bit and you could argue that the pressure of being involved in a potential title race got to us, but you have to factor in the recent injuries, suspensions and some really chronic refereeing decisions.

Has Jens been perfect? No.

Have the team been perfect? No.

But whilst our deficiencies have been shown up in recent weeks, its still the best season I can remember for quality of football and entertainment, and we are still sitting with a GD of +25 in April.

Picking holes in an otherwise fantastic season is easy to do and if you ignore the circumstances, you can make a compelling case, but just as circumstances can fall for you, they can also conspire against you, despite you having control over neither.

 

[Spiderpig]

MJC is a troll, posting negative shite about Motherwell or rousing defences of his or her big team to extract a reaction, its a public forum so everyone is entitled to their opinions, but in my experience its best to ignore these posts as there is nothing to be gained in starting a debate, dont feed the trolls..

[wellon]

14 hours ago, MJC said:

Sometimes I like to ride bareback through the fields with the wind in my hair. Only when the mood takes me though.

You're a legend.

[Ya Bezzer!]

On 4/5/2026 at 9:17 PM, joewarkfanclub said:

Nuance & perspective are wonderful things!

Clearly JBA isnt a Motherwell legend (yet), but he deserves a little more credit than he is being afforded in some quarters.

Now let me just state I think JBA has done a good job.

But here are some dispassionate facts.

Here are JBA and Stuart Kettlewell's league records after 32 matches.

SK-32-12-10-10

JA-32-14-12-6

The difference is 2 wins and 2 draws over 32 matches.

Also given the fact that we have tough matches coming up and and aren't in particularly good form and Kettlewell got 9 points from his next 7 matches means it might be even closer on the first day of next season, although, of course, I don't know what our next 6 results are going to be.

Given the closeness of the two records I just find it interesting that the average fan probably has widely diverging views on both managers.

JBA has done well but he's no where near a legend.  Finishing 4th or 5th is hardly unprecedented for Motherwell managers.  Terry Butcher got us Top 6 numerous times when the club was on it's uppers and not spending, as it is now, six figure sums on multiple players.

People tend to go to extremes, best ever, worst ever, when it's the vast majority of the time it's not.

 

 

[texanwellfan]

9 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Now let me just state I think JBA has done a good job.

But here are some dispassionate facts.

Here are JBA and Stuart Kettlewell's league records after 32 matches.

SK-32-12-10-10

JA-32-14-12-6

The difference is 2 wins and 2 draws over 32 matches.

Also given the fact that we have tough matches coming up and and aren't in particularly good form and Kettlewell got 9 points from his next 7 matches means it might be even closer on the first day of next season, although, of course, I don't know what our next 6 results are going to be.

Given the closeness of the two records I just find it interesting that the average fan probably has widely diverging views on both managers.

JBA has done well but he's no where near a legend.  Finishing 4th or 5th is hardly unprecedented for Motherwell managers.  Terry Butcher got us Top 6 numerous times when the club was on it's uppers and not spending, as it is now, six figure sums on multiple players.

People tend to go to extremes, best ever, worst ever, when it's the vast majority of the time it's not.

 

 

Can’t argue with facts but 😂 JBA will be playing top 6 so not apples to apples by end of season. 
the numbers also don’t account for how much more enjoyable it has been to watch our team play. 
while the bottom line is W L D record some other numbers are impressive at this stage of the season. Better goal difference than Celtic, best defensive record in the league. 
correct that JBA is not a legend but difinitely a breath of fresh air amd possibly a legend in the making. 

[Ya Bezzer!]

4 minutes ago, texanwellfan said:

Can’t argue with facts but 😂 JBA will be playing top 6 so not apples to apples by end of season. 
the numbers also don’t account for how much more enjoyable it has been to watch our team play. 
while the bottom line is W L D record some other numbers are impressive at this stage of the season. Better goal difference than Celtic, best defensive record in the league. 
correct that JBA is not a legend but difinitely a breath of fresh air amd possibly a legend in the making. 

Well Kettlewell wasn't playing against a Livingston team that literally can't win and 3 of Askou's victories have been against them.  There is never going to be a completely direct comparison outside of the actual results.

 

[grizzlyg]

Jeez I wish could turn back time and used a different word for JBA!

[grizzlyg]

4 games ago folk were believing we could win title.  Now Askou being compared to Kettlewell!! This forum beggars belief at times.

Look at the crowds this season,  that tells you everything as we are being entertained and have only lost TWO home games all season.  Both against Falkirk. 

We were always going to have injuries, players off form, Slattery being stupid getting himself a ban.  It's just happened at wrong time of season. 

Give me JBA ahead of Kettlewell any day.

Ps. Ross Co 0 Airdrie 4 at weekend,  SK doing wonderful job

COYW 

[Kmcalpin]

Irrespective of where we finish now, it will have have been a good season. Improved league placing; increased attendances; and more exciting football. 

The final judgement on JBA's reign will depend on where he takes us from here and, of course, the jury is still out on that. So far, he's done very well in a short space of time. This summer's recruitment will be a big test for him. 

The bottom line is that we have to build on this year's success and not stagnate. 

[bobbybingo]

1 hour ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

Well Kettlewell wasn't playing against a Livingston team that literally can't win and 3 of Askou's victories have been against them.  There is never going to be a completely direct comparison outside of the actual results.

 

I think most folk compare what they're watching now to what they previously watched when it comes down to it. Crowd numbers alone would suggest they much prefer what JBA's team has served up to what the past few managers delivered. On a personal level, that's certainly the case.

Doesn't make Askou a genius, doesn't mean Kettlewell's a donkey (though we could take the views of Ross County and Kilmarnock fans into account on that one).

[dennyc]

Under Kettlewell our future looked extremely limited and it was all about survival. It felt like only a matter of time until top flight status was lost. Our players looked almost as fed up as the fans. Games were not enjoyable, even when we won. That was the reality of the situation. Speaking personally I found it more and more of a chore to attend matches. No exaggeration to say that in over 60 years of attending games I had never felt as scunnered.

Under Askou I look forward to games and love what I am watching each week, even if the outcome is frustrating at times. That's football for you. All season we have been looking up and not down, with top six achieved at a canter. We have players who are a joy to watch and should attract decent offers should we choose to cash in. Several who were ignored or looked done under Kettlewell are now performing to a high standard. We are looking forward to further progress next season and indications from within the Club are that planning to that end is well advanced.  And all that achieved in next to no time.

The results comparison surprised me. I admit that. But that alone does not tell the story. The increase in attendances, home and away, would suggest that many folk feel the same way as me. 

No matter what happens post split, this season has been a positive that none of us could have imagined under Kettlewell. For me that is the comparison that matters. Fans now have belief and are turning up in large numbers. The players look to be enjoying what is being asked of them.

He may not be a legend yet but I hope he stays long enough and is supported sufficiently to have a shot at  achieving that status. 

 

 

[wellsince75]

1 hour ago, grizzlyg said:

4 games ago folk were believing we could win title.  Now Askou being compared to Kettlewell!! This forum beggars belief at times.

Look at the crowds this season,  that tells you everything as we are being entertained and have only lost TWO home games all season.  Both against Falkirk. 

We were always going to have injuries, players off form, Slattery being stupid getting himself a ban.  It's just happened at wrong time of season. 

Give me JBA ahead of Kettlewell any day.

Ps. Ross Co 0 Airdrie 4 at weekend,  SK doing wonderful job

COYW 

to be honest Grizzly I didn't think you were far off the mark.  Best football I've ever seen us play, better than McGhee v1 and just the overall attitude Jens brings -  he's been a touch of class and made me feel proud to be a Well fan.  

Everyone is entitled to their view of what earns the right to 'titles' but simply put I can't remember since McLean a better manager to lead us forward and hope more than expect that Jens remains next season. 
 

[0Neils40yarder]

SK done a reasonably good job initially...took a pile of shite left to him by club 'legend' Stevie Hammell and turned it into a relatively robust and organised unit.

The trouble with SK was that after the initial upturn, he signed his own pile of shite, became wedded to a horrid formation, gave little fucks about the fans perception of being entertained AND to compound all of that behaved like an absolute cretin when he resigned and for a period thereafter.