Havnar Bóltfelag vs Motherwell (30/7) Discussion

[Spiderpig]

9 hours ago, purestate said:

 
he might not be starter ahead of Longelo / Williams but nothing I saw gave me the fear. 

Theres a reason he was put out on loan last season as he was not up to the style JBA had us playing, he subsequently could not get any signigicant game time at Raith, hes just not that good, especially at premiership level

[Great Balls of Shire]

9 hours ago, grizzlyg said:

His predictions are just fine, leave him alone.  When wins are predicted we are f***ed 🤣🤣

If he had a track record of getting it right, fair dues, but it's almost always bollocks.

[firparkfred]

I think the criticism of Wilson by some is completely over the top. It was our first competitive game of the season and I thought he did well. He won the ball and pushed forward many times. Unfortunately when he got forward there was no one in the box for him to pass to and he had to check back. Yes, he had a few bad passes but so did quite a few others. I think he is a good addition to the squad and we should be encouraging him.

[grizzlyg]

15 minutes ago, firparkfred said:

I think the criticism of Wilson by some is completely over the top. It was our first competitive game of the season and I thought he did well. He won the ball and pushed forward many times. Unfortunately when he got forward there was no one in the box for him to pass to and he had to check back. Yes, he had a few bad passes but so did quite a few others. I think he is a good addition to the squad and we should be encouraging him.

Exactly,  sadly there always seems to be one player that gets singled out.  Remember the terrible stick SOD was getting a few seasons back.  I think as fans we make an effort to give Ewan plenty encouragement.  The lad is wearing the claret and amber jersey and trying his best and personally I thought he done just fine last night 

[Yabba's Turd]

3 hours ago, Onthefringes said:

Can we say that on here? 

I can, it's my hoose.

[joewarkfanclub]

Pleasantly surprised by that last night.

Controlled the game for the most part. Scored 2 absolutely fantastic goals, and should have got 2 or 3 more. Said coulda had a hat trick if he knew how to shoot!

Obviously there were shortcomings. But given how many players we had unavailable I think overall you have to be happy with the level of performance and direction of travel.

Now if we can just get a few players back fit for next week please!

[Kmcalpin]

Not quite the result I hoped for (3-0), but it was adequate and acceptable given the team we fielded. Hopefully, more injured players are available next week, especially Thor. 

The performance was a mixed bag as you'd expect with the line up and the fact we're early in our season. Pleased to see AJ continue the possession based ethos introduced by JBA. Thats a massive plus and the fans seemed to warm to it. We put far more emphasis on crosses into the box but all too often there was no-one to get on the end of them or if there was, they didn't have the physical attributes to convert them. If we continue with this style, then a big traditional striker is a must (Thor?). We did seem toothless up front. Good to see us shooting more though and that resulted in 2 cracking goals by our Austrian contingent. 

Midfield was a bit iffy at times although Priestman had an outstanding game covering every blade of grass. We did lack a good attacking midfielder though - maybe one to come in?  HB showed unsettling ability to break at pace and that caught us out a few times. The defence held out for a clean sheet but HB, somewhat worryingly, had a good few efforts on goal late in the game as we tired.  Good to see youngsters get game time though and that will boost their confidence. 

Individuals? Too early to make definitive assessments but Paulsen gives me the fear, as did Callum Ward early on to be fair. A great, if showy shotstopper who pulled off 2 very good saves. However at 6-0 he's very small and looked fragile at aerial balls. His distribution was somewhat heartstopping at times and tested his defenders unnecessarily. Impressed with Moormann although Girdwood Reich had a quieter game. We do need a bigger more commanding central defender though as Premiership strikers will test them out physically.  Williams looked ok. Still not sure about Ewan Wilson - he had a poorish first 45 but came onto a better game in the 2nd 45. Not an attacking back but struggled a wee bit defensively.  Probably 3rd choice. I thought Priestman was immense last night and will prove to be a real asset this season. One lad who did impress me was Vogt. After comments on him post the Genk game I wasn't sure what to expect, but he looks a real player with pace to burn.  Definitely one to watch, once he's fit. 

Good to see Mikey Booth get a start but I thought, assist aside, the game passed him by. The gametime will help him though. Luca Ross? A make or break season for him but, on last night's admittedly limited evidence, he showed nothing to impress.  Cameo appearances for Whyte and Weir - a good sign from AJ.  

[mcguru]

A good performance in our first competitive match against unknown opposition. 

Had a great view of that first goal, top bin and Faddy rounded off a man of the match performance with a great strike anaw.

Considering Said of course is not an out and out striker, we've out-Barca'd Barca there. 

I'm looking to win next week up there then looks like we travel to Heksinki who beat Coleraine 5-0.

[joewarkfanclub]

I think the issue with Wilson is a bit of confirmation bias.

I dont think there is any doubt that before his move to Raith his form had dipped a fair bit. He was making mistakes and didnt look very assured.

The fact that JBA didnt rate him enough to keep him around despite being really short in that position only added to the feeling he wasnt good enough.

I dont read too much into the fact he didnt make it at Raith as he was very unlikely to play in front of Lewis Stevenson, which raises questions about the loan in itself.

Judging him purely on last night, I thought he did well enough. Looks fit and physical, was decent enough going forward and if we had a big fit striker, might have had an assist or two. I was concerned when he was moved into centre back, but did fine there as well.

Of course, you have to caveat all of that with the level of opposition, and he may still be moved on eventually. But right now? Id be keeping the boy around.

[joewarkfanclub]

I thought Mikey Booth showed up pretty well last night. Looked like a young player that thought he deserved to be there. Was always dropping into space to show for the ball and was demanding it from more senior players. Some good touches and generally looked like the kind of player that will fit our system.

[SteelmaninOZ]

 

[grizzlyg]

1 hour ago, SteelmaninOZ said:

 

Love the celebrations and even Paulsen getting involved, group of guys just getting to know each other.  It's a new era and new faces so fingers crossed. Alfred also comes across as very likeable character.  Massive job for him and a very hard act to follow so needs time.  Already last night you can see tweaks,  the number of crosses definitely refreshing

[weeyin]

1 hour ago, SteelmaninOZ said:

 

My favourite kind of shot. Hardly any rotation on the ball, and side netting.

Not a bad start to his Motherwell career.

[SteelmaninOZ]

 

[parko66]

second leg next Thursday being shown on Premier Sports i see - from 6pm

[wellfan]

Lots to comment on, both good and not so good, from last night, but I think Dylan Williams looks a real find. His versatility will be a big asset, and he slotted into the left attacking midfield role effortlessly. It’s already pretty clear that he, along with a few others, will do well in our 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. 

[Wee Alpha]

Well done to Captain Sparrow and his young crew.

Off to the North Atlantic next week for the next battle. Hopefully get through that with no astro turf injuries. 

[twistandshout1983]

Definetly could have been more goals last night, though if anyone had offered a 2-0 win before our first competitive game I would definetly have taken it

Another bumper crowd last night which was very pleasing

[mio]

7 hours ago, firparkfred said:

I think the criticism of Wilson by some is completely over the top. It was our first competitive game of the season and I thought he did well. He won the ball and pushed forward many times. Unfortunately when he got forward there was no one in the box for him to pass to and he had to check back. Yes, he had a few bad passes but so did quite a few others. I think he is a good addition to the squad and we should be encouraging him.

I was not a fan of Wilson as a player and I thought we’d seen the last of him when he went off to Raith but credit where it’s due, I thought he played really well last night  and looked a better player than the one that left us.

The manager sees something in him and sometimes that’s all that matters to raise your game, confidence goes up and performances improves… long may his form continue

[MFCL84]

A decent start to the season proper. Some very good individual performances and a good team performance given where we are in the season and the limited availability of key squad members.

My thoughts on the new guys playing last night:

Paulsen did OK. He made a couple of saves that I'd expect of any keeper, and his distribution was, for the most part, acceptable. However, he looked a bit jittery. Maybe just early season nerves.

Our central pairing of Moorman and Girdwood-Reich was reasonably solid, though I do worry about pace there. They didn't seem all that quick, and I thought that Girdwood-Reich seemed a bit unbalanced and unsure, almost clumsy at times. I'm not sure that he is the ball-playing centre-half that replaces Welsh. Then again, that's his first game in a Well jersey so no level of familiarity with his teammates.

Williams did well for someone that had only just signed and probably met his teammates a day or so before the match. More to come from him as he settles in for sure.

Vogt gave a vastly improved performance from the Genk match. A quiet first half, but he seemed to get the bit between his teeth second half resulting in some really good runs, and with a bit of composure he would have got a goal.

Finally, our academy graduate, Booth. I felt that he acquitted himself well. He got into some great spaces between the lines and was constantly looking for the ball. He could have been used more by his teammates. One for the future.

For the rest:

Wilson did OK. I felt that his forward movement was pretty good. He made some good runs, but didn't receive the ball as often as he could have. He did get caught on the ball, in advanced positions a couple of times, but overall OK on the night.

Fadinger and Priestman ran midfield. Very assured, dominating performance from both.

Said, well, he was Said. Great touches on the ball, terrible decision making and even worse finishing. If only he could improve on either one, he'd be a real asset.

Sparrow did what he pretty much always does. He was energetic and competent, solid not flashy; he rarely lets you down.

I'd like to think that we have enough to see us through to the next round, but this tie is not over. HB showed enough to suggest that they will score next week. I just hope that we get one first, which will likely be enough to win the tie.

[Prestwickwell]

Thought it was a decent performance considering 1st game back & a few missing 

 

Think we need a 10 & a 9 

 

said was the only real creativity we had 

 

faddinger & priestmen were quality as per 

 

don’t get the booth love, young player but thought the game totally passed him by, early days for the boy though & sure he can prove me wrong 

 

2 new boys at the back & Williams done well, look decent signings

 

keeper gives me the fear, seemed stuck to his line 

Vogt for me looks nowhere near the level but again early days & new country, not convinced

 

plenty positives but we need a couple in 

[ropy]

On 7/22/2026 at 7:51 AM, MJC said:

The usual Euro non-event/embarrasment for us at Fir Park.

0-1

What did you think of the match, good fun?

[Yabba's Turd]

2 minutes ago, ropy said:

What did you think of the match, good fun?

Don't threaten him with a good time!