Wednesday, 21 December 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY WELL-Y CHRISTMAS
What's that SPL/SFA? You want to give Steve Jennings a gift? Quite right, after all he did get punched in the belly off of Jim ( Only one leopard print jacket away from getting a gig on The Crystal Maze) Goodwin at the weekend, and after all your attempts to suspend him in the last 12 months, I would say he deserves something from you. Oh, wait, it's an offer of a 2 game ban for touching Goodwin in the face, after almost having his legs taken off at the knee? I wouldn't bet on him appreciating the gesture....
Despite my facetious little sketch there, I do find it rather diabolical that Jenno has been taken to task for his involvement in Saturday's melee. He was booked at the time, which was more likely for the hack on McLean than for anything else, but for him to incur the same charge as Goodwin is ridiculous. I am all in favour of the fast track disciplinary system, when it is used to good effect for the purpose it is fit for, and I can see why Jennings has been collared, as the rules state you can't lift your hands to an opponent, BUT, Goodwin's clear stomach buster was intended to be far more than a wee scrunched face.
Aluko and Pawlett have rightly been carpeted for diving, while Gary O'Connor got away with the exact same thing. With Pawlett, I'd imagine his red card will be appealed and he will get banned for the dive, which is a ridiculous state of affairs as well. I just think they need to find a line and stick to it. Fast tracking is all well and good, but it is resulting in players getting harsher sentences than they would merit if caught in a game. The punishments are not fitting the crime. Santa, if you are listening, please give the SPL/SFA a clue and some consistency, I'd imagine they'd be thankful of it.
This time of year usually brings with it Claret and Amber gifts galore. In my younger days, I could always bank on getting that season's away kit off my Aunt Helen, which was a tradition for many a year. I remember getting the luminous Shivute kit and going up the park after Christmas lunch to play football in the dark, to see if it would glow. It didn't, it got absolutely mockit. That tradition seems to have carried on with my nephew Aiden, who will no doubt be enveloped in the Lucky Silver kit come Sunday morning, as well as a host of other Well related goodies.
The range of stuff in The Well Shop just now is actually pretty sweet and I'm sure many Well fans will awake to some Puma made garments on Christmas day. While not a massive fan of trackie tops, I am quite impressed with the fare we have, even the cheekily named "Hampden" white tracksuit. Other than the kits for this season, the claret post match polo is probably the nicest bit of Well wear I've seen for a while. (Mum, if you're reading this...medium). I'll probably have a rake around in there before shooting off to Tynecastle on Saturday morning.
The Club has got in on the festive spirit by putting on free buses for the Supporters Association to make the trip to Edinburgh, which is a great move. Our away performances have been far superior to our home form, and the noise of the lads who regularly travel is fed upon by the team. By incentivising a few hundred more fans to travel East, we can hopefully treat them to a fine display at a stadium we do not always get a result in. I have only been to Tynie once before,and it ended in a 2-0 defeat with Kevin Christie being sent off. Hopefully Christmas Eve will give us a festive away win.
Finally, here's my Motherwell Santa list for this year.
7 points from the next 9, (Hearts, Dunfermline, Rangers...)
Another Scottish Cup run, with more than the Elgin game at home.
Inverness to make the Top Six for another weekend in the Highlands.
To not lose any key players in January.
Bring in quality where needed in the window.
To stay 3rd for the rest of the season, if not higher....
Not much to ask for is it?
Merry Christmas folks and have a Happy New Year when it comes! The Podcast will be back better than before in the New Year and will be looking for contributions from my readers, so keep your eyes and ears peeled in 2012.
Up The Well!
Friday, 16 December 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: ALWAYS LOOK ON THE....
This ranges from the mundanity of having to commute for over an hour each way, each day to work and putting weight back on which I'd tried hard to banish forever, to more serious matters. The more serious matters being having to move out of a flat which wasn't too great to begin with, due to what the Beano or The Dandy would describe as a dastardly villain.
Watching an episode of Glee used to end with me feeling a bit dirty as it was a guilty pleasure, but only one of them ended with my downstairs gem of a neighbour "allegedly" setting fire to my abode. Apparently, in a Spinal Tap like way, you can't fingerprint scorch marks. Anyways, that was probably the primary low, exacerbated by the stress of trying to find a new place to live. On top of this, saving for our impending wedding has not gone quite as to plan as we would have hoped, and earning less than I know I could be in my current job has put a dampener on my exponential spending. Indeed, to top the year off, I failed at the second hurdle to get a job, that I hoped would set up 2012 as a year to remember.
If I was a pessimist, I would look at that year and give a good old Ron Simmons style "DAMN!". However, that is one perspective. Another perspective could be that 2011 has been a pretty darn good year.
I moved back home in to the welcoming arms of my family, who I needed for a lot of support during previously mentioned times. I have a steady job, which, while I am looking to find something that gives me a better wage, is a job which pays me enough to let me get by and afford some luxuries. I live in a cracking wee house with the woman I love, which we are slowly but surely making a home. We went to Canada in April which was amazing and have recently purchased our first car, which I can drive, having passed my driving test 8 years after failing due to someone else's incompetence. I have grown within my job, to a level where I can do it to a decent level, and have also gained part time work with the football club that is closest to my heart.
And this is where the football stuff kicks in. Throughout the good and bad of the last 12 months, there has been one constant (other than my Mrs), the like of which I haven't seen in the 17 years I've been going to Fir Park. Motherwell Football Club have had one of the most successful 12 months I have been grateful to be a part of.
When Stuart McCall took over from Craig Brown 52 weeks ago, the club was in a bit of a suspended state. Having given his word that he would stick by us, Pa Broon left to count corner kicks in Aberdeen. When McCall came in, many had trepidation over his appointment, but a year on, there is no doubt he is Mr Right, not just Mr Right Now, as perhaps Brown and Knox had been. From December to May, Stu Mc took us to Hampden twice and gave us a fantastic run in the Scottish Cup, culminating in our first Scottish Cup Final in 20 years. The result was dissapointing, and some thought the ceiling had been hit too early. However, since the arse end of July, he has kept us in the upper echelons of the SPL, thanks to the team ethic he has instilled at the club.
This has been aided by the experienced core of our team. Messrs Craigan, Lasley and Hammell have been in outstanding form this season, bringing on the players around about them. The tenacity of players like Jennings, Hutchinson and Murphy has been evident in varying forms throughout the year, and the signings of Nicky Law, Omar Daley and Tim Clancy have had impacts that have spurred the team on to some outstanding performances as well as hard ground wins.
Pundits always say the sign of a good team is when they can get a victory when they don't play at their best. The games this season at Inverness and Aberdeen are examples of that. Tom Hateley's late winner against Caley was one of the most joyous goals I have ever seen scored by a Well player, as it signified the fight that the team has. Having lost only 4 games all season, 3 to the Old Firm, no 'Well fan should have reason to gripe.
But they will. There is always something, whether it's Michael Higdon's weight/jumping/running/ability being questioned, Chris Humphrey's hot and cold blowing or whatever they muster up in the chat rooms, there will always be a negative to cuddle all of our positives. But that's where perspective kicks in again.
Everyone has the agency to look at things from whatever angle they want, and while sometimes things get a bit heavy, other times they are purely majestical. So, when the time comes to put 2011 to bed, in some ways I'll be glad to see the back of it, and in others, I'll be wishing it could stay up a little longer.
Mon The Well and Mon 2012, give me your best shot!
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: QUITE A SOMBRE BLOG...
Friday, 21 October 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: COMING IN YOUR EYES.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Friday, 7 October 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: QUITE A LARGE METAPHORICAL BLOG ABOUT PHONES AND FOOTBALL
Thursday, 22 September 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: WE'RE ALL DOOMED!!!
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Friday, 9 September 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: MOANS AND MONEY
After an International Break, which courted better controversy than displays by Scotland, it’s back to the good old SPL this weekend. The games against Czech Republic and Lithuania did little to set the purple heather alight in terms of the results and the performances, giving the Tartan Army a Victoria Beckham type of slim, slimmest of chances at reaching Euro 2012.
The pundits have latched on to Levein’s statement of “progression” for Scotland under his stewardship, and that the World Cup is now the main aim. The former Dundee United and Hearts manager was hired to guide the nation to next years European Championships, and that should have been his priority. If I was hired to hit a yearly target (which I sort of am) and was failing at that (which I don’t think I am anymore), I would never think of using the excuse that in actual fact, I am preparing for next year’s target.
8 points from 6 games, which before Lithuania was 5 from 5. 97th minute winners against the worst team in the group. Playing Czech Republic with no strikers. Looking for fault in anyone but those in our national shirt and tracksuits. It’s not good enough. The blinkered Scotland fan will look back at the Czech game and claim that as we were “cheated” in a game which would have given us a bit of hope, that is why we are not going to qualify. I believe it stems back to Levein’s appointment.
He was the cheap, safe choice. It is probably testament to his tactical nous that unlike predecessors McLeish and Smith, who had the whole nation excited about our national team for the first time in a while, that no big clubs are trying to prize Craig away from the Scotland set up. While the makeshift team that disposed of the Hearts All-Stars got the job done, the whole game was flat. Fletcher’s penalty miss summed up the atmosphere of Hampden, where as frustrating as not scoring it was, it was kind of just accepted. Naismith took his goal well, Bannan was impressive and Goodwillie ploughed the lone furrow to a decent standard, minus the service form his colleagues and the enthusiasm if the crowd.
The likes of Adam, Brown and Miller were missing, but that is academic. I’m pretty sure the game would still have been a slog with them in the team. It pains me to contemplate that the missing spark, the mark of quality, the game changer was oddly tanned, Turkey disliking, Cardiff striker Kenny Miller. Where’s James McFadden when you need him?
He’s one of three places actually. He’s either on his way to Wolves after knocking back Aberdeen, slaying Dinosaurs in a bid to bring pride back to the national team (according to www.fitbathatba.com and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLWPyfpow2g ) or pumping money in to The ‘Well Society. Two out of three of those have truth backing them, I’ll let you pick which ones.The news that The Fad had reportedly invested some money in to Motherwell’s new Community Ownership project, was one of the highlights of it’s launch on Monday night. Having read a number of reports on it and trying to figure out what it entailed, I’m not going to lie, I’m still trying to get my head around it. Perhaps if I was more financially astute I could figure it out. Despite working with numbers and costs and VAT on a daily basis, my understanding of investment and shares is pretty poor.
In my opinion, I think that Community Ownership is probably a good thing as it should make for some innovative ideas going forward and allows the fans a chance to be able to contribute to the Club they love. If I could afford it, I’d probably chip in as best I could. I’d imagine that there has been a slight surge in EuroMillions tickets sold in Lanarkshire this week, to see if anyone can realistically pump a Romanov amount of money in to our club.
I’d imagine it’s something that crosses a lot of football fans minds, the notion of owning their club and how they would run it. I would not have the first clue on how to do it, so if I had the money, I’d probably pay someone who did to do it, while taking all of the credit. I’d maybe go a bit John Boyle about it and try and invest as much as I could to make Motherwell the true Third Force in Scottish Football, but only if it wouldn’t jade the fans.
Man City for example, have almost all of the world’s economy at their disposal, but the majority of their fans who have seen relegation, struggle and the loss of their original Maine Road are still pretty grounded. They accept that they are possibly one of the richest clubs in the world,but you still see them shuffling in to the Etihad wearing flatcaps and Brother sponsored strips. Their fans don’t seem to feel like they have an entitlement to win every game. Yes, they will get frustrated that a team of such stars may not perform to their best each week, but they accept that.
Compare that to Chelsea, who up until really this millennium, were never really title contenders in the EPL. Now 2 bad results means their boss’s jacket is on a shoogly peg and their fans are pulling on it’s sleeves. They have grown to rely on Abramovic and his oodles of Russian money which I forget the name of, in order to win and compete in the most expensive games in European football and buy the best that world football has to offer.
I’d much rather the fans were content with my investment, while making sure the Club is financially stable and try and bring in at least 1 marquee siging per season, while keeping the focus on Youth Development. No matter how much money anyone ever pumps in to Motherwell FC, we would never have the profile or catchment of fans that the Old Firm have, based on history and heritage.
To that end, the club would need to keep creating it’s own legacy and I’d like to see that done by focussing on the youngsters, giving them the best facilities and training they can get to better themselves. Gordon Young is doing a greta job in bringing through future stars, whether they play for Motherwell or anyone else, and his enthusiasm and eye for a prodigy needs to be encouraged in future coaches as well.
So, yeah, I’d make the club stable, fund them enough to compete every year, give the fans some excitement each year with a big signing and invest in youth. Would this make our league and national team better? Who knows. People complain about a myriad of things that are making the SPL as bad as the Irish League, but maybe if we were more positive about our game as opposed to bashing it all the time, then maybe it wouldn’t seem so bad. These dark days of Scottish Football are only here this season due to Celtic and rangers being out of Europe already.
If the heavy hitters in the Scottish sporting media took off their green and blue specs and looked at how teams like Motherwell, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and more are trying to play the game this season, then they will see the games are not all bad. It may not be as skill packed as La Liga, or as tactically minded as Serie A, but there is still football to be enjoyed up and down the country. The state of our game may look bleak, but the clouds, they are a-clearing.
Motherwell take on Celtic at Parkhead this weekend in a 2nd versus 3rd match, where a Well win would be a major step towards staying up “there” for a decent chunk of the season. They can be beat as St Johnstone proved, but by playing ugly. If we try and play them at football ala the Rangers game, then we may get a hiding. Hopefully not though, so that my latest podcast gives me something to crow about!
My blog is now home to The KJ WellCast, with the first proper episode hopefully being recorded in the aftermath of Parkhead tomorrow. No doubt, links will be free flowing to it all week.
So, thanks for reading and keep your ears peeled in the next few days for some irreverent Motherwell based banter.
Up The Well!!
Friday, 2 September 2011
MOTHERWELL FC: MORE OF THE SAME PLEASE MR MCCALL!
MOTHERWELL FC: MORE OF THE SAME PLEASE, MR MCCALL
Six weeks in to the season, 7 games played, 1 defeat, 2nd in the league, 8 goals in the last 2 games, 5 clean sheets and 0 players lost from the squad that has started so well. Some pretty good looking numbers there. Add to that the 2 major additions to the team in Law and Higdon (as well as Clancy and Daley), and you could say that we are the strongest that we have been since the beginning of the McGhee era.
McGhee’s team may have boasted the talents of McCormack, Porter, Hughes, Clarkson, O’Donnell et al, which on paper is definitely a more attractive team than the current crop, but by jove these lads are giving it their all. Being at the summit means that everyone comes after you, and while in the past, players would have shirked at this, McCall’s group seem to be using it as motivation, to prove they deserve to be there.
In the SPL, we all know that playing pretty isn’t the be all and end all, and certainly against St Mirren and to an extent Hearts, we just shaded the wins. Having missed both these games, I can only go on what I’ve been told by others. In the 5 games I’ve witnessed, barring the Kilmarnock game, I’d say the brand of pass and move football the team are playing is perhaps the best in the league.
Despite going down 3-0 to Rangers, they posed threat through the speed at which they broke up field after sustaining pressure. For the majority of that game, Law, Lasley, Jennings, Hammell and the rest sprayed some neat passes about and made some good running, albeit with no end product. The Inverness, Clyde and Dunfermline games did have the deserved ending and the scuddings those teams have taken off the back of that, are why The Well are where they are.
With no one away on International duty, the squad has some time to relax and be injury free come the visit to Parkhead next weekend. The majority of their squad will be called up for their respective countries, which may give way to fatigue and frustration on their part. Having not been to Parkhead in over a decade, I am looking forward to this visit with a certain degree of optimism.
Results against Celtic have been easier to come by than against Rangers, even when the blue half”of Glasgow have had “poor” squads when facing us. St Johnstone’s win over the Sellic shows that they can be beat, even by a team that has no goal scorers in it. The unpredictability of the SPL may just throw up another shock. A shock at least for non Motherwell fans.
Everyone who has watched The Well this season knows what this group of players are capable of. Consistency is the key. Perhaps the players have given that extra bit of effort to show themselves off in the transfer window, but they need to maintain this standard of football now that we are half way through the first cycle of games.
The backing that the fans have given so far this season has been awesome as well and is a driving force for the boys on the pitch. Confidence in themselves and one another is one thing, but knowing they have the belief of the fans, manifest in shouts, cheers and ridiculous songs to the theme tunes of Sunday night soaps, can only inspire them when they are on the park. A glance at the Tweets of our social networking squad show that they really are reacting to the chants and the drum and the banners on display at this season’s games.
The difference it made to Chris Humphrey against Dunfermline last weekend is proof that getting behind the players makes a difference. Having tried and tried and tried in the first half to cut inside and get a shot away, his head could have dropped and he could have faded out the game as he has done in the past. Instead, at the start of the second half, with the wind of the travelling support behind him, he tornadoed through their defence before firing in off the post.
It’s a goal that he has pretty much tried to score in every game he’s played in Claret and Amber and it finally paid off. Hopefully, like with Higdon, this will herald a potency to his game this season, that he has lacked in the last 2.
If we can keep everyone fit, and keep them playing with the passion and commitment they have so far, then this could be a season to savour. Traditionally we struggle in the winter months, but if we rack up enough wins before the darkness hits, we should be ok. It would be ridiculous to suggest that we will be in Champions League contention come March, when the SPL will probably resume it’s usual shape, but going on what has gone before so far, I’d say a top 4 finish isn’t too much of a stretch.
Having lost no one in this window, prolonged success may see us diminish in January. Murphy and Randolph will, I imagine, be the 2 hot picks from our squad, both of whom would be pretty darn hard to replace, unless we get good money for them. We can but hope that the prodigal McFadden will be fit enough to consider a six month deal to get his career back on track after injury, if we lose our big players.
But, for now, we have a cracking set of players, who have set a fairly high bar in the first 7 games. The next few games after Celtic all give us home advantage over St Johnstone and Aberdeen in the league, and Hibs in the League Cup. I wager the Hibs game to be the trickiest, as their luck needs to turn at some point…but I think we’ll still send them crashing out, maybe take penalties though.
With the Scotland games up this week, I wish Levein’s men all the best. At this moment in time, as patriotic as I am, I am club over country, but despite not really being a fan of Levein, I want 2 wins from 2. The Czech game will be a tough test, but hopefully , hopefully, they can bring Scottish Football out of it’s current funk.
Up The Well! (and the Tartan Army!)
Thursday, 11 August 2011
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: IN THE NEUTRAL ZONE
As a football fan, I will pretty much watch any game on telly, regardless of which teams are playing. That’s how you get a feel for how good and how poor different leagues, teams and players are in comparison to what your own team is. For me, it gives an opportunity to fantasize about who would be a good fit in claret and amber, or who wouldn’t, as well as giving rise to having “another team”.
At international level, I have to admit I am rather ambivalent. At the moment I am anyway. Obviously as a Scot, I am patriotic and always enjoy seeing the Tartan Army entertained by the national team. Under Levein though, I just don’t feel it. Last night’s win over Denmark was a good result, but it will only be worth something if it can be replicated in the games that matter. I’m in no way a gloom and doom merchant, but I’d be content with glorious failure to qualify for Euro 2012 as is the norm, but to do that, there needs to be some battling performances from Levein’s picks.
Instead of taking in the win at Hampden last night, my travels allowed me to experience a must win game for Northern Ireland as somewhat of a neutral. Friends and regular blog readers will know that I am marrying in to a Northern Irish family. When Big Rab told me he’d acquired tickets for their game against the Faroes in the week Elaine and myself were over, I knew I could get my fix of live football, albeit at the expense of missing a glorious win over Hearts and the impending defeat of St Mirren.
The drive from Larne to Belfast wasn’t too long, but the ever greying and darkening sky suggested that this muggy August night would also be a slippery one. After inhaling a magnificent Chicken Burger from the highly recommended Supreme takeaway, Robert, Steven and I made the short, wet walk to Windsor Park. For an international ground, Linfield’s stadium was very similar to those in the SPL. Temporary seating was in place behind one of the goals and also to the front of the Main south stand. Sat in the North stand, 2 rows back, it was clear that the grey sky was not going to be our friend for the night. As our seats were uncovered by the overhang of the top tier, a soaking would surely ensue.
Similar to Fir Park in size, Windsor too boasts an awful PA system. The tannoy guy made a valiant effort at naming the Faroese players, but was charged with a much tougher task of leading the crowd in a sing song. Printed on page 33 of the programme were alternative words to “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, which the announcer was pleading with the fans to burst out with as before the game and at half time. Whether it was out of embarrassment or in light of the English (Not UK) Riots, the fans were not having it. The song was played once and never again, with no one in our block singing along.
Instead, their voices were saved mainly for chants of “We’re not Brazil, We’re Northern Ireland” and “Greenandwhitearmy!”. The early lead Norn Iron took through Aaron Hughes, was all they could really sing about in the first half, although a couple of penalty decisions in their favour could have changed that, as could national hero Healy, if he hadn’t struck the post.
For a part time team, the Faroes didn’t lie down, and could have drawn level on a few occasions. Camp in goal for the home team almost let a corner slip in to his net just before half time, and shortly after, he breathed a sigh of relief when a clearance cannoned off a Faroese forward. Worthington’s men were starting to look edgy until the introduction of Niall McGinn.
In the lead up to the game, much had been said about the inclusion of Celtic players in the Northern Irish set up. Having a slight grasp of the political issues involved in the country, sectarian ignorance seems to be set aside in these instances. It’s true that both McGinn and Pat McCourt have received unpleasant post for their inclusion in Worthington’s squads, but when you have talented players in your ranks, it was proved last night that your background shouldn’t and doesn’t matter.
Within minutes of his introduction, McGinn had made a vital contribution. A long ball form the back sent him scurrying up the right wing. A look up and a pass to the onrushing Davis was all that was needed, as his first time side footer crashed in to the goal from all of 25 yards. It’s not often that I will be in attendance at a game and applaud a player that I would normally be vilifying, but in this instance, all I could do was get to my feet. Having seen Davis score a similar goal v the Well at Ibrox last season, I was now in a position to accept that he is a class act. In a Northern Ireland shirt anyway.
I didn’t expect I would have to do it again. Twice more in fact. For the first half, the enigma that is Paddy McCourt looked like uninterested. He and Johnny Evans on the left looked bereft of ideas, as more often than not, McCourt would pass and not move, or cut inside and stop. In the second half, he was a completely different player, almost epitomising the frustration that Celtic fans have with him.
His stats at Celtic show 10 goals in 30 appearances in 3 seasons. A goal every 3 games, and spectacular goals at that. Whether it’s his fitness (at times he looked to be blowing out his arse) or his attitude that finds him in and out of the squad, only Lennon knows. But his impact in the final 20 minutes of this game was unreal. His first goal for his country on his first start for his country came from a great piece of play. McGinn again strode up the wing, playing in Davis. A look left and a perfect pass picked out Paddy. He slalomed in to the box with ease, playing a neat 1-2 with Evans on the byline, before picking his spot at the far post. 3-0 and the Green and White Army burst in to life with various songs with McCourt’s name inserted.
A capacity crowd in Belfast, cheering a Celtic player to the roof. Who’d have thunk it? And who’d have thought they would do it again, but even louder? His second of the night, is honestly one of the best goals I have ever witnessed. Almost a carbon copy of the first, he dropped his shoulder and swivelled his hips all the way in to the box before chipping the goalie, like you can only do in FIFA, from about 10 yards. Magnificent.
The Derry Pele, Messi in disguise, whatever you want to call him, McCourt’s name is probably still echoing around Windsor Park this morning. If ever a gloss needed to be put on a 4-0 win, that was it. It could be argued that the result and performance wasn’t that impressive, given the quality of opposition, but a 4-0 win is a 4-0 win and gives a bit f spark before their next qualifiers against Serbia and Estonia. 2 points off second place with a game in hand, it’s up to the Ulstermen to make the most of it.
By the end of the match, the three of us were sodden, but delighted by the result and the quality of goals we had seen. Heading back to Larne in the dark, the aroma of our chippy still in the car, I had enjoyed being somewhat of a neutral. For once, I had sort of been supporting the same team as Robert and that team had won. A good night all round.