MOTHERWELL FC: A CORNER TURNED?

Looking back at McCall's settling period and forward to hampden on Sunday...

So, since my last Blog, my predictions haven't completely fallen apart. Reynolds left us for the heady heights of League One, Sheffield Wednesday forking out an "undisclosed fee" for him. A Scotland Cap is surely an inevitability now.

We also ground out a bore draw with Inverness in quite possibly one of the worst games I've ever witnessed at Fir Park. The only thing of note that I can recall is Foran missing a sitter when the returnign Shaun "The Bus" Hutchinson made his only mistake of the match.

Alas there was no Casagolda last minute equaliser, but his time will come...

Saturday's win over Hibs, a phrase which I love reading, writing and saying, was prefixed by one of the more embaraasing/ridiculous moments in the club's hsitory. The loan capture of Mike Grella from Leeds looked like it could have been a fruitful signing.

Having been on loan at Carlisle for the first half of the season, he seemed pleased to be in the SPL fighting for regular action, (According to Twitter anyway.) Holding a shirt was as close as he came to pulling one on though, as due to a FIFA loophole, his signing was to be short lived. As he had played for both Leeds and Carlisle this season, the rules dictate he could not play for a 3rd team in one season.

Cue the message boards and forums bashing everyone from McCall to Boyle to Dempster, claiming what an embarassment of a club we are. In my opinion, when whoever inquired about Grella was on the phone to Elland Road, someone should have said no from the get go. The player, the manager, and Leeds United must have known when and where ha had played and therefore should have kiboshed any move involving Grella.

Instead, Motherwell are made to look like plums in the media again and adds another chapter to one of the most disrupted seasons we have had in a while.

The win over Hibs, while not a surprise, was certainly one to savour. For a team with such "skilled" players as Riordan, Nish, Zemamma, Thompson et al, I don't know how they are so poor. If we had upped our game a bit, we could have taken more than 2 off them on Saturday. I'm still convinced that Graeme Smith still has a fondness for us, as thats twice he has chucked a goal in for us since he left.

From where I sit in the East, it looked like Hammell's free kick had gone straight in. My query was quashed on Twitter though when Murphy tweeted he wouldn't have claimed it had he not touched it. There was no doubt Saunders connected with Hammell's corner for the second goal.

Young Steve had a blinder on Saturday, his goal, getting forward and stopping anything down the left all contributed to a sterling performance. Along with Hutchinson, Page and Meechan, our youngsters all had solid games, hopefully showing that we can rely on them if the transfer window closes without more additons.

Steve Jones debut was competent. he reminded me of Jim O'Brien in that he wasn't scared to take players on, but maybe tried a bit too hard to start with. It remains to be seen how important a role he will play, but he made a decent start to his claret and amber career.

Zemamma's penalty miss was horrific. No doubt, Riordan would have buried it, but that was one of the worst penalties to ever end up in the away stand for quite some time.

The main plus point from Saturday was that we were back amongst the goals. Although they came from set pieces, they all count, and with results going our way for Kilmarnock, ICT and Dundee United, this may be the turning point we have needed. 1 Defeat from McCall's first games in charge doesn't look too bad now there's a win in there.

A midweek jaunt to Perth could be a tricky one. Do we go for the points against McInnes mob, or do we rest players ahead of the Semi on Sunday?

The CIS Cup Semi v Rangers is going to be a tough watch I feel. In both games agaisnt them so far this season, we have been in positions where they were there for the taking, only for us to capitulate. Sunday is no time to fall apart.

If Rangers win, then fair enough, that's a final for them, if they lose, it's only a Diddy Cup anyway. For us though, it's our first chance at Silverware for 6 years if we progress, and it's against the team that thwarted and humiliated us on that day.

A humping in a Cup Final is never nice, a humping in a Semi is worse. It shows that you have bottled the big challenge and shows you up for punching above your weight. For perennial underdogs like ourselves, we know we have a decent squad, but can we outpunch our heavyweight rivals.

In a one off game, I say yes. A (kinda) neutral venue, a wide park for Humphrey to wreak havoc on and an eligible Steve Jennings battling in the midfield, would hopefully quell any pumpings from Rangers. Do what they want to us in the league, but not in the Cup.

This Semi is the chance for players like Murphy, Humphrey, Jenno, and Hutchinson all to shine. It could be Craigan's last attempt at winning anything with us, and I believe his contrbution on Sunday will be pivotal. Whether it be in his own game or helping Hutch through it, he is the Captain, the one who loves the club. The man who punches a hole in his chest every game, indenting that Well badge firmly upon himself. He knows the importance of this semi. For the Club and for himself.

By no means will Sunday be a classic. If we are to get anything from it, I feel it will be a steal. a 1-0 or even a penalty shoot out win. Rangers struggled without Miller on Saturday, and with Naismith possibly an injury doubt, Weiss and Lafferty will probably be their danger men. Weiss ran us ragged at Ibrox, so he needs to be stopped if we are to have any chance.

I've predicted a Well win, as I believe we are due it, but it will be hard fought. Regardless of the outcome, I'll keep my head high come Monday morning, knowing that a trip to Hampden is not a regular occurence and that a win is even rarer.

The team know what they need to do, let's hope they do it.

Up The Well!

motherwell FC: the Season To Come...

MOTHERWELL FC: THE SEASON TO COME...

I’m going to be Nostradamus today and predict what the first half of 2011 will bring for Motherwell Football Club. I’ll try to be realistic and not too over the top with my optimism. We all have our hopes and wishes, but being a Well fan, you get used to inconsistency messing those up.

This was originally going to be last week’s blog, alas the League Reconstruction thing took precedence. It has however, given me an extra week to mull over and reconsider some of my visions for the future.

As a preface, I’m going to address the events which have lead to my views on what is to happen in the 5 months, moreso the next month or so.

Stuart McCall’s reign so far has been a mixed bag. A draw and a loss in the league and a win in the cup isn’t as bad as 2 league losses and being knocked out of the cup by lower league opposition could have been. The win on Sunday versus Dundee brought smiles back to the faces of many Well fans, particularly the return to form of Jamie Murphy.

Scoring one and setting up Sutton for his brace showed the quality the boy has. Indeed, the whole team acquitted themselves well in what the media were viewing as the most likely cup upset, due to our form against lesser teams than ourselves.

The midweek loss to Dundee United, to be honest came as no surprise. Despite being reasonably successful at Tannadice in recent seasons, it’s not normally a happy hunting ground. United have gained a bit of form and from the reports I’ve read, were victorious over a Motherwell team who didn’t turn up, again with Murphy looking most likely and Randolph having a decent game.

The game was accompanied by the news that Marc Fitzpatrick was left out due to him signing for Ross County. Apparently the money they had offered was the same as what Mr Boyle had, but the contract term was better at Dingwall. A Marmite player if ever there was one, Fitzy will go down in our Club’s history for THAT goal against Hearst in 2005. I wish him luck and good fortune at Ross County, where hopefully he’ll discover his potential.

This news came on the same day that we had lost out on a player to English Non League team Fleetwood Town. On paper that looks really bad on the club, but considering they have just had a massive amount of money invested in them ala Gretna, and the locality of the team to the player, then it is perhaps not that bad.

The release of Alan Gow was probably the right decision too. Like Fitzpatrick, he split opinion, but it just didn’t work out for him at us. The occasional fancy flick and beating of players with no end result, in my opinion, does not merit the sizeable wage he commanded. Thanks for the goal in the CIS Cup though.

Blackman signing for Aberdeen was a bit disappointing when I read it yesterday. It was always unlikely that he would come back to us, but for him to go further North, sticks in my craw a bit. No doubt he will do well up there and probably do a Delomeaux and score against us every time he plays us. On the plus side, he should be Cup Tied for the CIS Semi and Final...

This picks up on one of the things form my last blog. Loan players are not the property of the club they are loaned to, therefore, they only act as short term gain. In Blackman’s case, the gain he gave us stopped at the same time Brown and Knox left for up north.

This, in my opinion, is the event that will shape the rest of our season under McCall. Under Brown, things were stable, not without drama, but stable enough that we were challenging for the top 6. In the space of a month, we have come off the rails TO AN EXTENT. It is now up to McCall to play with the hand he’s been dealt.

So, with all that in mind, here’s how 2011 will pan out for Motherwell FC.

JANUARY.

The loss of Gow, Blackman and Fitzpatrick frees up wages. Rumours that Casagolda wants away are quelled when he scores a last minute equaliser versus Inverness. Suddenly, the predicted Messiah shows his resurrective powers. The squad is bolstered by some loanees, probably one from Rangers, due to the Ibrox connection. Reynolds will leave for the Championship for around £100,000 to fund this.

We get retribution on Hibs for their narrow win on the opening day before drawing with St Johnstone away. Humphrey stars in both games

The CIS Semi v Rangers will see us hold out on a 1-0 win thanks to Craigan playing a blinder at the back,(He’s due it against them...) and Sutton popping up with the important winner. Aberdeen will also controversially edge out Celtic, getting revenge for their 9-0 gubbing.

FEBRUARY.

With a Cup Final to look forward to, we start to pick up league points against the teams below us, Casagolda and the loanees bolstering the squad. Rangers get us back for the putting them out the Cup by putting 4 past Randolph for the 3^rd time this season. Hutchison comes in to replace Reynolds and shows the promise he did under Gannon. He stays fit as well.

The reaaranged game v Aberdeen will be a heated affair after all that’s gone on. Another score draw will see the obligatory Blackman goal cancelled out by Murphy. Jennings and Hartley will have a bit of handbags and most will say we were lucky to get the draw.

The next round of the Scottish Cup gives us a scare when Threave or Stenhousmuir take an early lead, but a Murphy hat-trick puts us in to the next round. Murphy’s form sees the press link him with the Old Firm and a couple of premiership struggler type teams. Wigan probably.

By this time, 3^rd place is well and truly Hearts, but results start to favour us and we end the month in 5^th after drawing with Celtic at home. McCall is named Manager of the Month.

MARCH.

As the race for a Top 6 finish heats up, we slightly lose our way again, with the Manager of the Month award bringing its curse with it. 2 draws v Killie and Inverness in the league see the focus shifted to the CIS Final.

The media begin to unsettle the squad again as they start bringing up Jenno-Gate again as the investigation finally comes to light. Murphy, Hateley and Hutchison are all being linked with moves away on regular basis.

Motherwell Football Club lift their first silverware for 20 years as they defeat Aberdeen 3-2 in Extra Time to lift the CIS Cup. Stephen Craigan scores a bullet header and after lifting the Cup announces he is retiring to become McCall’s number 2 for next season.

APRIL.

The Cup win spurs us on to an unbeaten April. In the league at least. We beat Aberdeen once again, draw away to Hearts and beat Dundee United at home.

We fall at the next hurdle in the Scottish Cup, putting the double out of contention. The points amassed since Christmas see us 1 position above where we started the year, finishing 5^th before the split. Inverness go off the boil when Rooney leaves in January, meaning we finish above them , after knocked out the Top 6 by Dundee United.

MAY.

The post-split fixtures work out OK for us, playing Rangers at home on the second last day, and Kilmarnock away on the last. The battle for 4^th is between ourselves and Kilmarnock as they have a sticky patch in February. On the final day, we get a 2-0 win in Ayrshire, giving us 4^th place.

Thanks to one of the Old Firm winning the Scottish Cup, we just manage a Europa place for a 4^th year straight.

Jamie Murphy scores his last goal for us before being bought by one of the teams promoted to the English Premiership. Humphrey, Hateley and Jennings also move to Championship teams, along with Craigan’s retirement, leaving Stuart McCall with a massive rebuild on his hands for the 2011/2012 season.

I know I said at the top of the page that I was going to be realistic and not too happy clappy, but having watched Motherwell for 16 seasons, we always have a rough Christmas period. 3^rd place is really unachievable, but 4^th isn’t. The wheels will come off the teams around us and once McCall gets comfortable and adds his own touch to the team, things will fall in to place.

We are not the worst team in this league by a mile (even though we sometimes play like it), but Brown’s departure has knocked any momentum out of the team that it had. McCall has a task to rally the players from the funk they are in, but I believe he can do it.

Budgets may be tight, contracts may be running out, but the core of the team is still there. Impact wise, it’s only really Blackman that is a loss to us. Perhaps we will bring in another loan striker or maybe McCall will put faith in McHugh or Gary Smith. I think the players who began to shine under Gannon will start to see some first team action, as it is about time.

They have impressed in the past and an extended run in the team would do them good. Hutchison, Pollock, even Saunders being played in centre defence may prove fruitful.

I believe we have had our bad patch. We have 2 Cups to compete for and our league assault begins again against Inverness on Saturday. Undoubtedly a tough game, but a winnable one, nonetheless.

Come 4:45pm tomorrow, all of this blog could be irrelevant. Fingers crossed, it’s not.

Up The Well!!!

MOTHERWELL FC: BUILD THE GAME OR KNCOK IT FLAT? LEAGUE RECONSTRUCTION DO YOUR WORST.

Football has once again become boring in the eyes of those who run it. Wholesale changes are abound. Will they make a difference? Maybe...

The adage of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", is one which is used a lot at times like these. Of course everyone has an opinion on the merits and pitfalls of Scottish Football and many believe that in it's current state it is broke. But would the solutions being discussed to actually fix the problem within our game, or would they just be a stop gap, til it happens again?

The SPL has been in effect since 1998, with the instigation of the League Split coming in 2001. The SPL was to be the ultimate overhaul of Scottish Football, changing the 10 team league to a 12 team league to give more games, increase revenue and make the League more exciting.

3 years in, it was boring again, so the April Split was introduced to make the league more competitive and exciting and lucrative than the initial rebranding was supposed to. Winter breaks were phased in and out, TV deals were struck with SKY, SETANTA and ESPN to give the clubs more exposure and more money.

It's 2011 now and the SPL is just as exciting and interesting and great to watch as it was 13 years ago. Not at all. And that is why these shake ups are coming in to place.

The prospect of a 2 Tier SPL comprising of 2 10 team leagues is being mooted as the answer to the issues with Scottish football. The pros of this, according to those involved in implementing it, sees that there are more big games to attract people to, generating more money.

Derek Weir, The Well's vice chairman made a statement yesterday saying that as yet no decisions gad been mad eon the outlay of the new propsed set up, but that with a potential 10 team set up,

"we have to bear in mind the importance of the funds we receive from TV deals, other media and sponsors. We are unfortunately already in a position where our best players can move to lower leagues in other countries for significantly increased wages and any further reduction in income from those sources will only make this problem worse. This will lead to a decline in the quality on the pitch."

This statement resonates with me on 2 levels. From the point of view of a provincial club such as ourselves, we need money. Bottom line. Despite the European runs, the high league finishes and the lack of depth in our squad, we are a financially poor team. We've been in administration, we've had to breed the youngsters where experience would have been preferred and we need to depend on loan signings to see us through a season.

Mass panic erupts whenever these loan deals end and the first thought is the worst. How can we afford to replace them. this means there is very little longevity in our squad, more so our front players. We always will be a selling club but gone are the days of having Coyne and Arnott and Coyle as our recognised attacking line up over a number of seasons.

As good as loan players are, we cannot afford to keep them for any length of time and therefore lose continuity. That is the rub.

The second point that Weir makes about the lack of quality on the pitch due to low funds ties in with this. The fast money made from the TV deals allows clubs like ourselves, Kilmarnock, Inverness etc to make impact signings for an average of a season. Eremenko for example, probably won't be at killie much longer and besides Conor Sammon, has been there most important man this season.

The TV money can help to pay a loan wage, but offers no long term return. We saw this with Jutkiewicz last season. We got a season out of The Juke and Europe, but come this season we lost him to Coventry. The money that is split between the clubs in the league is not being wasted as such, but not being invested in where the real problems with the SPL lie.

Talent.

To coin another cliche, "Grass Roots" football in Scotland is non existent. We have very little talent being produced at club level. Sure, Motherwell and Hibs ahve done ok with youth for the last decade, but for every James McFadden or Derek Riordan, theres a whole host of others who don't make it or just aren't good enough for our leagues.

If the bigwigs want to redesign our game, nurture the youth. This is where the appeal of the 16 team format lies with me. From what I have read and listened to, a 16 team league, as mundane as it would be at first by stripping the SPl of 1 or 2 Old Firm, New Firm, Edinburgh derbys a year, would have its merits if the plans to copy European leagues come true.

Having the 2nd tier consisting of lower league teams and secondary teams form the Top Tier clubs would be a master stroke. This would allow clubs to build up strong youth team players in a competitive league, without having to farm them out to part time teams or have them gro stagnant in the U19s.

Once they have served in the lower tier, they can graduate to the big league, having a wealth of experience behind them. Like in Spain, these teams would be exempt from promotion, but would have the opportunity to taste competition and the chance at winning a trophy early in their careers.

I believe that if money is invested in teams and squads rather than individuals for short term gain, then we can build Scottish football again. It will take time, but with anything long term, it can't be quick fixed.

With all this in mind, here is my idea for how to revolutionise the SPL...

16 Team Top League, 12-14 Team Lower League

Top League: Each team plays one another twice= 30 game regular season

1st placed team at the end of the season are League Champions with automatic Champions league place.

Second Champions League position determined by 2nd to 4th place play off games. Play each other once, team with most points and goals from games gets Champions League, other 2 get Europa Places.

Last placed team goes down, 2nd and 3rd bottom teams have a play off with highest finishing eligible teams in 2nd League. Guarantees 1 up 1 down plus potentially 3 up 3 down, keeping the relegation fight interesting.

The middle 8 teams are then put in to a new league cup format, whereby they compete with the 2nd tier teams not promoted, allowing them to stay competitive and allowing the smaller teams and the second strings a shot at glory.

At the start of each season, there would be a second tier player draft. Players from the top league are able to pick the stand out players form the 2nd league, with the lowest finishing top league team getting first draft pick as it potentially bolsters their squad, giving them a better chance of success in the coming season.

These draft players would be rated on their season statistics. Not just goals matter in the 2nd league. Assists, clean sheets, team created goals, saves, discipline all count in the statistical ratings. This means that the youngsters getting in to the game, the children and teenagers learn how to play total football, by having the unheralded parts relevant in the game today being praised.

I hated playing football with Ross Mcnally at school. He was a decent player, but tried to do everything himself, as the players that did that kind of thing were the ones he admired. If emphasis is put on the creation of goals or the work rate of having a shut out by individuals and teams, then that should encourage young players to develop a non selfish game, thus giving them more confidence in their abilities, MAKING THEM MORE TALENTED PLAYERS.

Right, my lunch break is over, need to get back to selling phones. Pick apart my plans if you wish, but my proposal would generate excitement, competition, suspense and success for the teams involved.

whatever the outocme of the rebuild, Scottish football will suffer if we do not invest in youth.

Up the Well!!!