Stenhousemuir v Motherwell 16/08/2026🏆SLC

[Bart Verheul]

Just now, MJC said:

We probably wouldn’t but we would stand a damn site better chance than doing anything of note in Europe. This is the competition where we reached the semi finals in the last two seasons, taking big crowds to Hampden as a result. Who knows? Had we not fucked up royally against St.Mirren then it would have been us having a crack at an out of sorts Celtic led by Wilfred Nancy.

If you’re still in it you can still win it but we yet again decide to act like Man City or Liverpool in the cup when we have nowhere near the squad depth and quality to do so.

I totally understand that frustration however I was much more raging last year when we lost to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup when Jens rotated the team because the only team that were left in it that we wouldn't have been favourites against were Celtic and even then I would have fancied us last season.

We have basically got a full team out injured already and are having to play on a Thursday then Sunday so I totally get why we would rest players anyway never mind playing on that abomination of a pitch.

Can you imagine how raging everyone would be if Said or Longelo ended up getting bad injuries that then puts them out of league games too.

I think everyone is getting a bit bent out of shape because of the European game coming up and thinking we are resting players for that. There's guys there that need rested for the league games which like it or not are the main priority for a team the size of ours in the eyes of coaches and the board.

[Benson]

Dont think anyone is scapegoing the young players,what ive seen so far is none are ready for permanent first team places,apart from wilson and ross who should be elsewhere.

[grizzlyg]

What i will add also is beating helsinki probably has earned us more money than a good league cup run. I sm desperate to see us win a trophy but I would happily take a glamour freiburg tie ahead of a league cup semi defeat to sellik.

That's just my view and of course we all have opinions.  We move onto a rocking fir park on Thursday and get right behind AJ and the lads

[mio]

The managers interview is fair enough, nothing there i’d disagree with. I totally understand why he started with that team today so I can’t be too critical but there were bad calls during the match.

on to Thursday now and hopefully a game we can enjoy and keep tight and avoid a bad defeat

 

[MFCL84]

5 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

So are folk thinking better helsinki beat us and we had a full team today? 

It is never as straightforward as that. The Helsinki night was magical, and on its own would easily be better than a result against Stenhousemuir. The thing is not only the opposition, but the competition. A reasonable opportunity of silverware has been passed up by doing a risk assessment and getting it wrong. You could easily spin the question around and say, if we had won today and went on to a Hampden final, or even won the competition, would you have preferred that or a win over Helsinki?

The bottom line is that Motherwell lost today because there was a misjudgement of the quality of our fringe players and the quality and application of the opposition.

We want to win as many as possible, not trade off one competition against another.

[Motherwell Daft]

Likewise just listened to AJ, he knows the performance was nothing short of shocking in all areas, but as many of us are saying, we go on to Thursday and likely one of our biggest nights at Fir Park in many a year.

We have to believe that our wee team can maybe shock the big hitters but one thing I’m sure of is that whoever starts on Thursday will give their all, and we can only dream….

CMYW!!!!!!!

[grizzlyg]

Just now, MFCL84 said:

It is never as straightforward as that. The Helsinki night was magical, and on its own would easily be better than a result against Stenhousemuir. The thing is not only the opposition, but the competition. A reasonable opportunity of silverware has been passed up by doing a risk assessment and getting it wrong. You could easily spin the question around and say, if we had won today and went on to a Hampden final, or even won the competition, would you have preferred that or a win over Helsinki?

The bottom line is that Motherwell lost today because there was a misjudgement of the quality of our fringe players and the quality and application of the opposition.

We want to win as many as possible, not trade off one competition against another.

It's a difficult scenario to juggle and I can see both points.  Don't think we missed Moormann as centre defence was fine.  Full backs weaker but JK was burst on Thursday so probably not fit,  in midfield our €600,000 signing started and up front probably strongest available.    

[SteelmaninOZ]

1 minute ago, grizzlyg said:

What i will add also is beating helsinki probably has earned us more money than a good league cup run. I sm desperate to see us win a trophy but I would happily take a glamour freiburg tie ahead of a league cup semi defeat to sellik.

That's just my view and of course we all have opinions.  We move onto a rocking fir park on Thursday and get right behind AJ and the lads

Aye we should all take a breath move on get behind the team on Thursday night pack out Fir Park 
Come On Ye Well 

[grizzlyg]

Just now, SteelmaninOZ said:

Aye we should all take a breath move on get behind the team on Thursday night pack out Fir Park 
Come On Ye Well 

Cheers bud

[David]

10 minutes ago, MJC said:

We probably wouldn’t but we would stand a damn site better chance than doing anything of note in Europe. This is the competition where we reached the semi finals in the last two seasons, taking big crowds to Hampden as a result. Who knows? Had we not fucked up royally against St.Mirren then it would have been us having a crack at an out of sorts Celtic led by Wilfred Nancy.

If you’re still in it you can still win it but we yet again decide to act like Man City or Liverpool in the cup when we have nowhere near the squad depth and quality to do so.

No one thinks we're Man City or Liverpool. It's simple squad rotation, and it's something we need to do when we're playing so many games this early. 

Like it or not, European football is always going to be the priority over the League Cup. That's the reason we worked so hard to actually qualify last season. 

We've managed to bank over £1 million in prize money so far, and that's not taking into account the tickets sold for home ties and so forth. I wouldn't be surprised if we've pocketed somewhere close to £1.4 million so far in total. 

Even if we lose to Freiburg, which we probably will, we'll be looking at over £1.5 million. 

And if we somehow manage to upset the odds and win? You're looking at over £3 million before a group game ball is kicked. 

So yeah, while the fans may not like it, the manager could have been considered negligent to not want to give us the best chance possible to win that tie. Even if that comes at the expense of losing in the League Cup. 

European football doesn't come along often, so we need to prioritise as needed. A result against Stenhousemuir would have been nice, but the League Cup is secondary to Europe. Just how it is.

[smiddy]

Today 

wee team vs big team - wee team won

thursday 

wee team vs big team ( hopefully) wee team win 

some you win some you loose

glad z didnt see it 💩🤮👍

[grizzlyg]

2 minutes ago, David said:

No one thinks we're Man City or Liverpool. It's simple squad rotation, and it's something we need to do when we're playing so many games this early. 

Like it or not, European football is always going to be the priority over the League Cup. That's the reason we worked so hard to actually qualify last season. 

We've managed to bank over £1 million in prize money so far, and that's not taking into account the tickets sold for home ties and so forth. I wouldn't be surprised if we've pocketed somewhere close to £1.4 million so far in total. 

Even if we lose to Freiburg, which we probably will, we'll be looking at over £1.5 million. 

And if we somehow manage to upset the odds and win? You're looking at over £3 million before a group game ball is kicked. 

So yeah, while the fans may not like it, the manager could have been considered negligent to not want to give us the best chance possible to win that tie. Even if that comes at the expense of losing in the League Cup. 

European football doesn't come along often, so we need to prioritise as needed. A result against Stenhousemuir would have been nice, but the League Cup is secondary to Europe. Just how it is.

Someone on the grizzly songsheet......not a phrase heard often 🤣🤣

[grizzlyg]

2 minutes ago, smiddy said:

Today 

wee team vs big team - wee team won

thursday 

wee team vs big team ( hopefully) wee team win 

some you win some you loose

glad z didnt see it 💩🤮👍

You win some you lose some its all the same to me...........and don't forget the joker! ( who was Vogt today) 🤣🤣

[Faddyisgod]

20 minutes ago, MFCL84 said:

It is never as straightforward as that. The Helsinki night was magical, and on its own would easily be better than a result against Stenhousemuir. The thing is not only the opposition, but the competition. A reasonable opportunity of silverware has been passed up by doing a risk assessment and getting it wrong. You could easily spin the question around and say, if we had won today and went on to a Hampden final, or even won the competition, would you have preferred that or a win over Helsinki?

The bottom line is that Motherwell lost today because there was a misjudgement of the quality of our fringe players and the quality and application of the opposition.

We want to win as many as possible, not trade off one competition against another.

I wouldn’t. Beating Helsinki was far more important than winning this competition. 

[smiddy]

15 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

You win some you lose some its all the same to me...........and don't forget the joker! ( who was Vogt today) 🤣🤣

Heez got the right name

willy = COCK 

[MFCL84]

19 minutes ago, SteelmaninOZ said:

Aye we should all take a breath move on get behind the team on Thursday night pack out Fir Park 
Come On Ye Well 

Yes, I'm sure we will.

I'm raging right now, but I'll be right behind the team and manager on Thursday.

I understand why the team today was what it was. I still believe in the system and the project. AJ is human. He misjudged the opposition and our own player's quality. We lost, we'll get over it, we lose every year. It is just a bitter pill to swallow right now. Especially when AJ fed us the importance of cup competitions to us in his pre-match presser.

[grizzlyg]

My final point before I focus on Thursday. 

I think Scottish cup at Aberdeen was worse than today.  We had genuine chance last season but JBA rested players thinking we still had league chances ( which was never happening).

AJ is juggling europe with domestic fixtures. Also we have 6 out injured and now priestman so I fully understand the line up which also I dont think was that bad.  If we had lost to helsinki....won today then drawn away to sellik in quarters would that be better? For me its no.

We have earned good money so far un Europe and Thursday is a fixture we don't get to experience much abd we should all make the most of it .

COYW

[Spiderpig]

23 minutes ago, David said:

It's simple squad rotation, and it's something we need to do when we're playing so many games this early. 

Squad rotation only works if you have players of simlar or greater ability to bring in, we dont have that luxury.

Booth, Whyte and Ross are nowhere near ready to be starting 1st team games and add to that Wilson who is brutal and Vogt and TJ who contributed feck all its no wonder we were brutal.

Lets be honest AJ fecked up today with that starting 11, 1st half they were running sbout like headless chickens, nobody wanting to go forward, so all we did was pass the ball accross the back line, Stenny just sat there knowing there was no threat

 

[Bart Verheul]

Just now, grizzlyg said:

My final point before I focus on Thursday. 

I think Scottish cup at Aberdeen was worse than today.  We had genuine chance last season but JBA rested players thinking we still had league chances ( which was never happening).

AJ is juggling europe with domestic fixtures. Also we have 6 out injured and now priestman so I fully understand the line up which also I dont think was that bad.  If we had lost to helsinki....won today then drawn away to sellik in quarters would that be better? For me its no.

We have earned good money so far un Europe and Thursday is a fixture we don't get to experience much abd we should all make the most of it .

COYW

Exactly what I was trying to say but much more eloquently put than me

[El Grew]

AJ has to take a lot of the blame for this. It wasn’t just that we lost but as much in the manner of our play. He made far too many changes and needs to be reminded that for a club like ours, European football is jam but the league and both cups are our bread and butter.

He has surely found out now that guys like Ross, Wilson, Booth and Vogt are not good enough to be in his 1st team squad and in all honesty need to be let go. He also has a decision to make as far as Maswanhise is concerned because wherever his head is  just now it’s certainly not at FP. On top of that he really needs to try and get a couple of fit strikers in asap.

[MelvinBragg]

I think most of us get the need to rest some players today. My own personal opinion would be start with more of your first team to set a tone (I'm sure Stenhousemuir got a lift seeing our team lineup) and sub first teamers off rather than on. I know the first team guys didn't make a huge difference today but I kind of feel the tone had been set by the time they came on...

One of those things and there's no guarantee that we wouldn't have lost anyway but just think we probably gave an unbeaten opponent an unnecessary boost...

[David]

1 minute ago, Spiderpig said:

Squad rotation only works if you have players of simlar or greater ability to bring in, we dont have that luxury.

Booth, Whyte and Ross are nowhere near ready to be starting 1st team games and add to that Wilson who is brutal and Vogt and TJ who contributed feck all its no wonder we were brutal.

Lets be honest AJ fecked up today with that starting 11, 1st half they were running sbout like headless chickens, nobody wanting to go forward, so all we did was pass the ball accross the back line, Stenny just sat there knowing there was no threat

Since August 2nd, we've played Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. We can't keep playing our first eleven on that schedule, it'll result in injuries. 

I'm fairly sure with the approach at the club just now, and how the manager is known to approach things, that data will have been provided on player fitness levels and will have played a part in his selection. 

As I said above, something had to give, and the choice was the League Cup game. 

[FirParkCornerExile]

7 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

Squad rotation only works if you have players of simlar or greater ability to bring in, we dont have that luxury.

Booth, Whyte and Ross are nowhere near ready to be starting 1st team games and add to that Wilson who is brutal and Vogt and TJ who contributed feck all its no wonder we were brutal.

Lets be honest AJ fecked up today with that starting 11, 1st half they were running sbout like headless chickens, nobody wanting to go forward, so all we did was pass the ball accross the back line, Stenny just sat there knowing there was no threat

 

Correct. We need to realise Europe is the icing on the cake. The League Cup and the Scottish cup are the fucking cake. 

The perennial fuck ups in the cups is depressing. We get to a position where we avoid the group stages and we fuck up against the easiest team left in the draw. That is entirely on the manager today. Disgraceful. 

[MelvinBragg]

1 minute ago, David said:

Since August 2nd, we've played Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. We can't keep playing our first eleven on that schedule, it'll result in injuries. 

On top of the ones we came into the season with, we've lost Williams, Sparrow and Priestman (maybe for some time, I'm hearing) already. So there's definitely something in that...

[David]

1 minute ago, FirParkCornerExile said:

Correct. We need to realise Europe is the icing on the cake. The League Cup and the Scottish cup are the fucking cake. 

Absolutely not. We've already earned twice as much financially in Europe as we would if we actually won the League Cup. 

In a season where we aren't in Europe, I'd absolutely agree that the League Cup is a priority, but when we have more lucrative European games, and we currently sit two games away from the actual group stages and the chance to earn millions? It's not even comparable.