MOTHERWELL FC: IT'S BEEN A WHILE...

Having done a power of writing for various outlets over the last month or so, I have ended up neglecting the place where it all began, my blog. Today, seems about the right time to get back in to the blogosphere and get my own thoughts and opinions across on a few things that my other work doesn't allow or give me opportunity to.

Having split myself between my media role at Motherwell FC and my STV blog/column on the Elite Ice Hockey League, I have been slowly building and building a firm body of work to project me to where I want to be. There's nothing wrong with being a Business to Business phone salesman, but writing and commentating and commenting on sports is what I want to do, and by and large, I am doing the right things to get me there.

It's just taking ages.

The experience that I am gaining from it is immense though. While not claiming to be bezzie mates with any of the players at MFC, the majority of the first team are aware of who I am and what I do, and the occasional head nod or "alright" from them in passing still has me feeling like a fan. Even though my current Well heroes are mainly younger than me, I still feel like 10 year old me, the wee boy that would clamber to the front of the East Stand to get Dougie Arnott's autograph on my programme or show Stevie Woods the unflattering caricature I had drawn of him waving to the crowd, while the ball whistles past him.

From a "professional" point of view, writing match reports, programme reports, player profiles etc is really bringing on my writing to where I want it to be. I've always been good with words (if not typing) and while some things can seem somewhat repetitive (there's only so many words you can use for "kick" without using the actual word "kick" in a sentence describing a shot at goal), my turn of phrase is getting better and hopefully that comes across in the reports that go up after games and in to the programme.

Commentary is not something I'd really given much thought to when I came on board at MFC. It was something I was always willing to do, but due to a slight speech impediment (can't roll my Rs) wasn't sure I'd be able to pull it off to great effect. When the opportunity arose in January, in a 1-0 defeat to Inverness, I grabbed it with both hands, despite my Jamie Oliver tongue, and have not looked back since. I absolutely love doing it.

I often feel like the boy in Father Ted that presents the Euro Song show, an alcoholic, stuttering, slavering wreck until the curtain goes up and then he is the consummate professional. As soon as Graham "The Mouth of Motherwell" Barnstaple, my co-commentator, puts us on air, I seem to change from my usual low Lanarkian-Weegie drawl, to a slightly clearer sounding, more annunciated Lanarkian-Weegie timbre. Hopefully the MFCTV subscribers are becoming accustomed to my voice and mannerisms when they tune in, as I appreciate, Graham and I can be somewhat of an acquired taste.

(I've also yet to get my own Broadcast Pseudonym, "The Mouth" fit's Graham well, not just from his ranty ways, but now that he is Chairman of the Well Society, his words come with some sort of authority I guess.)

We have built up a great camaraderie on air, which I believe helps the flow of the broadcast, and is helping me to find my broadcast voice in this capacity. having dabbled in podcasting last season, my main worry was that I wasn't speaking clearly enough to really embark upon such a road, but with almost a year of doing MFCTV comms, it's is a great string to add to my bow.

This weekend sees the MFCTV team travel to Inverness to broadcast from the Tulloch Stadium, for a game that may be quite a toughy for The Well. With ICT in fine form, and the Steelmen somewhat struggling, I very much doubt there will be a repeat of the 4-1 win over the Caley Jags that I missed while in Malta. Likewise, I am not so confident in a repeat of our jaunt up the A9 last season, where we stole a win from El Tel's side.

Had I been on comms for that game, I very much doubt I'd have been asked back. Having ventured up to Inverness with my mates on the Friday, to say i was fragile on the Saturday was an understatement. Being far from a hardened drinker, a night of Jaeger-Bombs and JD and Cokes, were probably correctly followed up by just having to do a match report and Twitter updates on the game.

It meant i didn't have to talk to anyone with the risk of vomiting on them, and it meant I could keep my emotions in check, reducing movement and the risk of emptying at the other end. As the game played out, with Keith Lasley scoring from the Moray Firth and Tom Hateley lashing in a late free kick for the winner, I'm pretty sure I'd have ruined the Glensound Radio Unit, as I exclaimed that we'd won.

Perhaps not the most professional moment of my sports writing to date, but an experience nonetheless. The same pilgrimage is being made this weekend and I am stating now, that i will not be in a similar state come kick off on Sunday....

It's an important game for The Well, as the pressure begins to mount after some not so great results. It can be argued that we are going through an unlucky spell, what with the Hibs debacle, losing to a late goal versus Dundee United and only netting one in 18 attempts against Dundee last time out. The luck has got to change at some point. Some have said that we are due to give a team a roasting, but having already beaten the form team in the SPL 4-1 at Fir Park, I doubt a hiding will be delivered this weekend. I'd be happy with a draw.

The one thing that I would ask for is a goal, any kind of goal, from Henrik Ojamaa. He's cutting about in games just now like the "Little Engine That Could" bursting his Estonian arse for the side to create, but he just can't find the net himself. It has been over twenty games since we last saw the pistols, and I for one would love to be doing my best Mick Foley impression on Sunday. It was on the tip of my tongue at St Johnstone and again when he hit the post and bar against United, and I pray that I can shoot the soundbite out properly this weekend.

The players have received a fair bit of stick on forums and whatnot throughout this poor spell and I think that is indicative of the situation that we have found ourselves in. Graham mentions it most weeks to me that this generation of Well fans are spoiled, as by and large, barring the administration times, things have been comparably rosy. Regular top six finishes, European jaunts, two Cup Finals (albeit disappointing ones) in the last few years; all a far cry from relegation and bottom of the table battles.

Yes, this season hasn't seen us hit the heady heights of last, and yes we haven't really found replacements for Craigan and Jennings, and it could be argued that certain substitutions have been incorrect or ill timed, but we will come out the end of this. I don't believe at this moment in time that we will be involved in a relegation battle, just as I don't believe that Hibernian and Aberdeen will be able to keep up their good form for the rest of the season. Both of those sides are performing where they "should be" for once, and fair play to them for it. But in my view, I don't think it can last. As the first round of SPL games have been and gone, it shows that any team is capable of taking points off any other this season, in what has been a very open and coupon busting term so far.

You can look at recent results with ifs and buts, but the same conclusion can be made that things just aren't going Well's way at this time, but I don't think it's through lack of effort on the team's part. this is no happy clappy statement, just calling it how I see it.

So for this weekend, get behind The Well in the Highlands so that the journey back down the A9 isn't as grim as what it's forecast to be.

That's probably enough scattergun writing for the time being, cheers for reading.

KJ

Up The Well!

MOTHERWELL FC: ENTERTAINMENT IS FOUND IN THE LACK OF DEFENSIVE ABILITY

As Josh Magennis got the final touch on Andy Considine's blooter in to the ground, deep in to injury time at Pittodrie on Sunday, 3 pairs of hands were thrown headwards in disbelief. Those hands had been clenched in to jubilant fists only 10 minutes earlier as Nicky Law looked to have secured a well earned win for The Steelmen, which would propel Stuart McCall's side three points clear of Hibs and four ahead of Celtic, ahead of next Saturday's match versus the current Champions.

"Motherwell have snatched a third to take all three points back to Lanarkshire!" I boomed down the MFCTV mic as Law and co celebrated in front of a dissenting home crowd, some of whom had fixed their gaze on Graham, Flow and I in the gantry. Many in front of us began to leave, as we gave it big licks for two minutes, exclaiming it was no less than we deserved.

Then Niall McGinn scored from a free header, and that cockiness, smugness and stupidity that I was exuding took a hefty knock. Us three, plus the hearty band of travelling fans who had trekked up to the Granite City had gone from confident winners, to the squeakiest of squeaky bummed panic merchants in 120 seconds.

It was inevitable that when Jamie Langfield lofted his free kick towards the Well box that something bad was going to go down, and for the second time this season, a late late leveller has left Motherwell feeling that they have lost all three points when it has really been two.

I don't buy in to the "play Motherwell to break a duck/lift a curse/turn your season around" patter anymore, but it did have some resonance yesterday, particularly given the Dons as the opposition. Just shy of 13 years ago, Ebbe Skovdhal's dismal Dons travelled to Fir Park on a Wednesday night, having failed to win any of their SPL games ahead of the clash. Not only did they get the win that night, but Robbie Winters claimed a hat trick, as did Well's John Spencer. 

The irony of such a high scoring game was that the two goalies that night, Goram and Leighton, were two of the modern great at International level, meaning that the defending must have been very suspect indeed.

As it was yesterday. With the Aberdeen fans been bereft of net bulging action at home this season, it was a stick on that this game would follow suit, but thanks to some woeful marking and positioning, they were treated to a veritable goal fest.Each of the six goals scored were highly preventable, with the defending for the three Well goals by The Dons' defence probably the worse.

Three set pieces gifted Motherwell three goals, which Craig Brown was quick to lament after the game. Having kept out all visitors in recent weeks he was dismayed at the lack of prevention used by his experienced defence. Considine, Reynolds and Anderson have done and should have done much better when Higdon poked home, when Hutchinson got his sizeable dome to Hateley's corner and Law bundled the third in after Cummins and Murphy tried to force the ball past Langfield.

Not that I am complaining. I was loving the ineptitude of their backline. Not so much ours though.

Motherwell were the better team throughout, and could have been forgiven for switching off to allow Gavin Rae to score from Hayes' cross so early on, had they held out for the 3-1 win. The quality of Fraser's cross for the second can't be argued, but with Hutchinson getting caught under the ball, similar to Cummins last week against Dundee, it gave McGinn the easiest of headers to place in to the net.

If only the defence could have clenched themselves as tight as the gluteals of every Motherwell fan going in to injury time, then this blog may have been a celebration of staying top of the league, regardless of the outcome of the game against Celtic on Saturday. But that's fitba. You win some, you lose some, you draw some from the jaws of victory in a game you deserve to have won. It happens.

With Ibrox to come on Wednesday, a similarly attack minded performance will go a long way to getting to the next round of the League Cup. I'm not going to go in to all the permutations of how and why we can beat this incarnation of rangers, despite us having not won their this decade, nay, this century. By and large we have ground out results this season and been deserving of a win in others, and but for misfortune, we could have held on for just a few seconds more against Aberdeen and St Mirren to be more than one point ahead at the top of the SPL.

Perhaps on Wednesday, it's our time to lift a hoodoo.

Up The Well!

MOTHERWELL FC: DOING THE HIGGY WHEN WE'RE TOP OF THE LEAGUE

Six games. Three draws, three wins, out of Europe, but Top of the SPL. Not too much to grumble about so far in this season where every team is going to suffer, where Armageddon is imminent and Scottish Football is set to implode on itself without the blue side of Glasgow turning up once or twice to bouncy bouncy their money in to our gate receipts.

 

It may still be early on in the season, but the hand wringing, wailing and gnashing of teeth which darkened the summer as the SFA and SPL failed to really get to grips with the Ibrox saga, has yet to be proved. Sure financially, there are a number of clubs who will miss the money that having both sides of the Old Firm in the league would bring, and there may still be cause for worry of administration, liquidation or whatever other financial meltdowns are abound, but for now, the SPL is proving to be as exciting and as closely matched as it has been for some time.

 

As  a Well fan, it will never not be exciting being at the top of the league, and having done so amidst a grueling, if somewhat underwhelming, Euro adventure, makes it more impressive. Playing 8 games in the first 4-5 weeks of the season, jaunting from Dingwall to Athens to Kilmarnock to Valencia, with some stops at home between, no doubt took it's toll on some (if not all) of the players. Those like Randolph, Ojamaa and Francis-Angol have also clocked up a power of air miles in this time, representing their nations in International battle.

 

To those who have given their all over the last two month's there can be no greater credit than sitting atop the domestic division, looking down on the chasing pack. But it has not been pretty getting there. Ross County away looked to be two points dropped in a lacklustre display, until it became evident that Derek Adams men would cause frustration to every team they came up against so far.

 

Bob McHugh's leveller against St Johnstone earned a hard fought point off the back of the trip to Greece, before the 2-1 win over Killie showed signs of some great counter attacking football.The home draw with St Mirren was a sickener having held on for so long to a 2nd minute lead, only to chuck it in injury time having gone a man down, before Higgy struck his magnificent treble against Inverness. Despite the emphatic win, the game was much closer than intimated, a common occurrence with ICT last season.

 

Saturday's win was a proper smash and grab job, at times neither side seemed interested in keeping possession, but when the game and The Well needed a spark, they got it when Henrik Ojamaa bowled in to the fray. It's been far too long since we've seen the pistols bang banging, he didn't even get them out when he scored a late double against St Johnstone at the end of last season, but his work rate has set up Higgy for vital goals in the last two games when he has come on as a sub. It would seem that there's nothing currently better than, as the fans chanted, "Doing The Higgy When We're Top Of The League".

 

With the transfer window now closed, it was a bit of a shock that nobody left, particularly those in the final year of their contract. The only standout amongst those in the early stages of the season has been Randolph, arguably our most bankable asset. Murphy and Humphrey have underperformed so far, and Shaun Hutchinson showed his rawness probably at the most inopportune time with two red cards in two games, possibly dulling down interest in the lad. Offers for he and Nicky Law were knocked back as being derisory, but performances throughout the team have perhaps not shown the true value that these players are worth, hence they are still at Fir Park.

 

I quipped after the Dundee game that it's a sign of a great team when they can win ugly, and while that was rather tongue in cheek, abit of it stands true. While we haven't played like the Scottish Barcelona of late, we've ground out results and made the most of the start to the season. Others have too. Dundee's win over Hearts was their first of the season, thanks to their first goal of the term, a penalty, which they defended for the rest for the game. Hibs have made a decent start with Leigh Griffith's earning plaudits for seemingly reigning himself in a bit. Dundee United haven't hit the heights expected of them as yet while St Mirren sit third. With Celtic minds on European glory, their complacency resulted in a first SPL win of the season for St Johnstone.

 

While the title will no doubt end up back at Celtic Park once they are dumped out of the UCL, it's up to the other teams in the league to battle away at the top end. The number of draws and coupon buster results that have happened over the last few weeks has shown that it will be a tight league this year, but with the number of draws on show, a sequence of wins for one or two teams could see an early breakaway emerge. Had Hibs not won at the weekend, The Well may well have been four points clear at the top. Alas, it is just the one.

 

With a jaunt up to Aberdeen on Sunday, Stuart McCall's men will know what they need to do to stay top before the visit of Celtic the following week. Having a great record in the SPL against Aberdeen over the last few years and The Dons seemingly very shot shy at the moment, it's another great chance for three points, however, defensively, they have been pretty good and have conceded about as many as they have scored. It may be the case that a ground out win will be required yet again, to stay at the summit.

 

Up The Well!

MOTHERWELL FC: TUESDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Even on the afternoon after the night before, it still seems absurd, mental and ri-goddamn-diculous, that Motherwell FC are competing in the UEFA Champion's League. The word competing has been used correctly here, as while 0-2 down after the first leg, The Steelmen played to the best of their abilities, and no one in Claret and Amber can fault anyone who contributed to a cracking Champion's league debut. The result does however mean that we are left with an Acropolis sized trial to overcome. Despite putting in an Herculean effort against the giants of Greek football, Panathinaikos, Stuart McCall's first foray in to UEFA's premier club competition ended in defeat.

To be fair, it wasn't an unexpected shoreline, but what the performance roused, was a sense of belief that the men in Claret and Amber were capable of causing an upset. The two goals conceded were highly preventable, but on another night, Chris Humphrey's 20 yarder dips a few inches lower and crashes in off the underside of the bar; Michael Higdon gets a bit more direction on his header and plonks the ball behind the goalie; Henrik Ojamaa loses his gifted but selfish nuance, just once, and plays in Jamie Murphy to further his tally as the club's all time top European goal scorer.

However, on this night, under the dull Lanarkshire floodlit sky, those chances didn't find a way past a solid Pana back line. Velasquez and Boumsong took most things in their stride, and with the pace at which Sissoko, Lazaros and Toche could break, those missed opportunities transitioned from buoying the crowd, to frustrating them in equal measure as the game went on. Having far more posession and making far more chances than most home fans would have expected, swelled the noisy crowd in to belief that something could happen, but, alas, it was not to be. To go to Athens and overcome that two goal deficit, would go down in the annuls of MFC history as one of the greatest results in the Club's history.

While only Nostradamus would be able to predict such a ludicrous turn around, it is important that the players go to the the home of the Parthenon with the belief that they can do it. Otherwise, the plucky and lucky bunch of revellers making the pilgrimage will be nursing their Ouzo induced headaches with what might have been. Unfortunately funds and other commitments will not allow me to make the trip, but having had the pleasure of commentating for MFCTV for last night's game and getting one of the best seats in the house to do it form, has meant that my Champion's League experience was fantastic. (Although, there is a 99.9% chance that the commentary didn't actually go out to anyone...)

It was one of the busiest Media boxes I've seen at Fir Park for quite some time, and huddled up right next to my self and Graham "The Mouth of Motherwell" Barnstaple, were our Greek counterparts. After much faffing about trying to find a power supply, our plate smashing pals finally got settled, and got their own broadcast underway. They had screeds and screeds of what looked like the matrix on their computers, which they claimed was their own alphabet, although, bizarrely, there seems to be no Greek translation or spelling of "Jennigs" or "Craygen".

Despite seeing their team under the cosh for spells in the game, they weren't very loud or animated at either of the goals. Certainly nowhere near as jubilant as Graham and I would have been had The well managed to find the back of the net. Come the end of the game, they praised the skill, but not the style of Sissoko, and Velasquez powerful performance at the back, while singling out Law and Ramsden as the star men for the home side. With the latter looking fairly composed in his first competitive outing, Lawsy stole the show with his directness and eagerness to get forward and create. If he can do the same at the Olympic Stadium next week, he could be the catalyst for one of the all time great European comebacks.

Hopefully, I'll have trawled the web or found a pub with Al-Jazeera, to find a stream of next weeks match, which comes after a lengthy trip to Dingwall for the start of this season's SPL campaign. Ross County may be celebrating raising the title flag, but by no means will they be in party mode as they look to add to their highland history. McCall may opt to mix things about to rest players ahead of Athens, if he can afford that luxury. Regardless of the outcome of the trip north, the eyes of us all will be firmly on the return leg next week, with hope spurring everyone on. While dropping in to the Europa League is not the worst consequence of losing the current tie, realizing the dream of staying in the Champion's League that little bit longer, would taste that little bit sweeter.

Up The Well

MOTHEWELL FC: NEARLY THERE...

It's the morning after the night before and the morning of the night to come. Last night, a few hundred Well fans and a choice select of the Motherwell media team screamed with joy twice in absolute joy; once when Michael Higdon reacted quickest to Jamie McDonald spilling Jamie Murphy's dipping strike, and once again, when Alan Winter blew for Full Time.

 While it was Taps Aff in the away end, the restrictions of a headset and mic prevented me from partaking in that type of celebration. Instead, I joyously gushed about what I had just witnessed to the handful of listeners on MFCTV and my commentary colleague Graham "Mouth of Motherwell" Barnstaple. The much maligned Michael was now the messiah, having delivered the goal which sees Motherwell Football Club teetering on the edge of the unknown and unthinkable Champion's League qualifiers.

 A Dundee United win at Ibrox tonight, will pull us back form the edge slightly, while a home win will tip us right in to the gaping jaws of elite European football. It's slightly ironic that the demise of RFC has put us in this coveted position, and we are now depending on them to not lose in order to secure this mystical berth, ahead of our own trip to Govan at the weekend. But thoughts of tonight and Saturday's upcoming games were put to the side for the immediate aftermath of what could have been a tetchy Tuesday at Tynecastle.

 With Motherwell, having our destiny in the palm of our own hands finds us often spilling what we are carrying at the crucial moment. And at times last night, before Higgy's goal, it looked like Gorgie could be the scene of an uncomfortable drop, as Hearts came out of the traps and looked mouch more composed on their home turf. As has been the norm of late, the midfield and defence restricted our opponents to pot shots form distance, which rarely troubled Randolph in the middle of our goal.

 When Taouil latched on to the rebound from Templeton's blocked effort, a sharp intake of breath travelled out to the listeners of MFCTV form both myself and Graham, but we had need not worry ourselves. On a nervous night, the breaks stayed in favour of those in Claret and Amber, and it was a breakaway of great quality which gave us the winner. Jennings, who has been understated all season in the role he carries out manfully and to the hilt, won a hard, typifying challenge in the middle of the park to win posession, and from that challenge, the ball was worked to Murphy on the left.

 As Murph ghosted in from the wing, his shot looked from the gantry, like it would be an easy take for McDonald. The bounce of the ball in front of the Jambo's goalie was enough to panic him in to a parry and to much Maroon dismay, The Don stroked home. As Graham and I lost our professional composure amidst the gathered media and Hearts fans around us, the travelling faithful's noise was pitched even louder. Like a locomotive, they had used the team's season of performances to stoke their vocals and noise up in the corner, carrying the side to the heights they have hit. Higdon's goal was the proverbial woot woot of the metaphorical vessel, hurtling towards lands unknown.

 Hearts looked stunned and try as they might they could not break down the well rearguard. Hutchinson in particular was a behemoth at the back, while Clancy looked as composed and assured as he has been all season. Regardless of what was thrown at Motherwell, they hung on until the final toot of Winter's whistle, at which point the joy and emotion in the fans spilled to the players. To a man, they mobbed Higdon as the SKY cameras focussed on the former St Mirren man. I doubt 12 months ago, the big Scouser could have envisaged out scoring himself and setting Motherwell up for a crack att the Champion's League. But he has.

 It's testament to his ethic and effort that he is now a Fir Park hero. Eyebrows were raised at his signing, and while taking some time to find the net for the Well, he became the punching bag for many unpleased with certain results. Whether his celebration at Tannadice was intended as a "getitupye" to the Well fans or not, "The Higgy" may now be seen as as much of an iconic 'Well gesture as Faddy's streak and rat tail, Colin O'Neill's Hugo Sanchez and Sieb swinging on the bar. 400 arms bent at the elbows in an upward motion, as Higdon was led to the SKY studio, prove that.

 That motion of a fist being moved upward, against the oppression of whatever you want to fight is indicative of Motherwell punching above their weight. Something we have said for so long, when our league position or cup runs have belied our own thoughts and beliefs about our club. A foray in to Europe will definitely be "above our weight", but we shouldn't be looking to punch at it; merely we should enjoy it. The players have worked so so hard this season to get us there, and it has been a great season to be involved in with what I have done at the club.

 If Rangers do the job tonight, then that feeling of a job well done by all in Claret and Amber will carry in to our next 2 games, and while we'd like to keep the good run going, we can't be too harsh on McCall's men if we have a little dip, knowing fine well what awaits us. (Although, to be fair, from a personal level, commentating on Well's first win at Ibrox in 15 years would be pretty damn special...) For those that travelled through to Tynecastle, for those of a Claret and Amber persuasion who watched on SKY, for those who listened to Graham and I nervously stumble through commentary, last night was one of those historic nights in motherwell folklore.

While not having the thrills of a Cup Final, or the drama of a 6-6 game with a wonder strike in the last minute to level, it had as much emotion and heart as any fixture as important to the club would conjure up. All eyes are on Ibrox tonight, but you can't help but feel that the 1st of May 2012 will be remembered as the night that Motherwell FC qualified for the Champion's League.

 Up The Well!!

KJ WellCast 2604

KJ WellCast 2604

MOTHERWELL FC: SQUEAKY BUM TIME

Four games to go. Sunday is now consigned to the history books and it is time to move on. St Johnstone are next on The Well hitlist, and who better to be playing than a team bereft of their star man? Albeit, Celtic were without many of their star men, as have Rangers been in the last few outings against them, and to an extent Kilmarnock after they won the League Cup...actually, maybe that's not such a blessing after all...

For the last few years, our post split games haven't really meant much. Last year, we sacrificed pushing up the league to focus on the Scottish Cup final, the year before that, our European aspirations were already pretty much confirmed before the 6-6 game and Jutkiewicz's magnificent leveller. Anything we have been fighting for has usually been wrapped up 1 or 2 games in, with the pressure off for the last few matches.

This year though, we do not have that luxury. At time of writing, we are 3 points clear of Dundee United, with an untimely drop in form seeing us only gain 1 point from the last 12, scoring only twice in the process. Murmuring of the same ilk as in January is abound on the forums about how we are going to bottle the chance at the Champion's League and how McCall should be chopped for it. This is nonsense.

While recently there have been sub par performances, dips in form are to be expected in a tired team. Counting out suspensions and injuries, Randolph, Hateley, Hammell, Law, Jennings, Higdon and Ojamaa have never or hardly had a weekend off this season, while red cards to Keith Lasley would surely have seen him play a fair few games more. With a squad of Motherwell's size and budget, rotation has not been an option for McCall, that other managers seem to be able to afford.

I'm not putting that forward as an excuse, but it will certainly take it's toll on a team. What the players need to do now though, is take forward the motivation that playing in Europe can bring to them as a team and individually. From a club standpoint, the financial reward of making the CL qualifiers would be a huge boost, where even falling at the first hurdle would see us in the Europa competition. This money could see us potentially sign up our best and most consistent players for longer, as well as being able to offer decent money for better players, who could be coaxed by the lure of European competition.

Another reason for them to perform is the fact that some of the remaining games are live on TV, and at this business end of the season, SKYand ESPN are the best shop windows around. While not wanting to lose the likes of Randolph, Jennings, Murphy, Humphrey et al, if they want to move on, they need to show their potential, and doing it against the statistically best teams in the league, live on telly, will give them a great chance to make a mark.

I would imagine that they would also feel obligated to do it for the fans. While the East and Cooper stand were nowhere near full on Sunday, for various reasons, the overall turn out while we have been rising high in the league hasn't been the greatest. However, the fans that have turned out have been loud and proud to be shouting on The Well. The lads at the far end of the East Stand have outdone themselves this season with their banners and behaviour, despite getting huckled by security jobsworths at Tannadice and Pittodrie. The players themselves are spurred on by these displays and what better way to pay them back for their support, than to make the Andy Capp banner pictures a reality.

The converse to this is that United, St Johnstone and Hearts will all be feeling that they can catch the Well based on their form versus ours. Peter Houston's men are in pole position to catch us, and their superior goal difference would mean that drawing level on points would be enough to knock us out of that CL spot. A defeat at the weekend, coupled with a United win over Hearts, will see that scenario play out. With that game happening before ours, the team will know what is expected of them. A Hearts win would take a little pressure off, but they must go all out for the win, regardless of events at Tannadice.

As exciting as it would be for it to go down to Motherwell v Dundee United on the last day for a crack at the unbelievable, the gaffer, the squad and the fans will be hoping it does not come to that. Realistically, I reckon it may come to that, but a win at the weekend will go some way to preventing it. More often than not this season, our own results, as well as those of our closest rivals have gone our way. What I would give for that to continue.

So, in closing, the players and the gaffer need to steel themselves for the next four battles, as a shot at the unexpected, however brief it may be, will offer a great experience for the team and fans alike. This weekend will be vital in the realisation of this.

Four games to go. Saturday is the now, is holding on to third the future...?

Up The Well

MOTHERWELL FC: A FAIRLY DRAUGHT FREE TRANSFER WINDOW…

MOTHERWELL FC: A FAIRLY DRAUGHT FREE TRANSFER WINDOW…

It’s February 2nd and Motherwell FC have just closed what was a fairly quiet, but eventful transfer window. A time of year which usually sees a mass panic amongst certain clubs over expected losses of players, a period of excitement for those who usually make some key additions to their squads, or, if you’re a Motherwell fan, a month of hoping not to lose key players, and not expecting to bring many in.

The summer transfer window always seems to be more fruitful down Fir Park way, as the players brought in are done so to shape the season ahead. It is very rare that a winter window signing goes on to make much of an impact at Motherwell. In past years, the likes of Chris Porter, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Nick Blackman, Darren Randolph, Steve Jennings, Tom Hateley, Nicky Law etc have all been summer signings who have had decent short and long term success at The Well. With the exception of Scott McDonald, we’ve never really brought in anyone influential post Christmas.

The likes of Allan Gow, Trevor Molloy, Danny Murphy, something Keegan, Lewis Grabban and a host of other players surplus to their teams mid season, have failed to make much of an impact in the run in. It could be argued that Gavin Gunning bucked that trend last year, but his indifferent displays, may have led him to Tannadice instead of Lanarkshire this season.

However, the one signing we have made permanent as of today, could be one of the most significant in the club’s recent history. Henrik Ojamaa has committed himself to a 2 and a bit year contract, tieing him to the club which has already propelled him in to the SPL spotlight. In just 4 games and 2 starts, Henrik has notched 4 goals and 3 assists, and by unleashing the guns, has become a firm fan’s favourite. In the space of a month, he has become the sparkiest thing at Fir Park for an age.

His tenacity, his strength, his speed, his link up play, has all been spot on so far. He has created a buzz around the club and has lifted the fans, particularly those who have been going to home games all season, out of a slump in confidence in the team. Just short of 2 weeks ago, Motherwell had slumped to the lowly depths of 5th in the table on goal difference. Enter Ojamaa, and we are now 6 points clear in 3rd place, still with a game in hand. 7 points from 9 and 6 of those at home, scoring just as many goals, shows there has been a marked improvement from pre Ojamaa times.

Our mini Christmas slump was enough to get the boo boys out in force, but any Motherwell fan will tell you that December is never a good month for us. In the last 2 season’s we have lost our manager around Christmas time, which has caused a shake up. This season, we suffered a temporary blip in form since losing 3 league games on the bounce. Those games weren’t games we had a right to win.

Hearts away on Christmas Eve was always going to be a toughy, Ibrox (as has been the case for 15 years) was never going to see us bounce back, and Inverness needed a Tade wonder goal to beat us. However, since little Henrik burst on to the scene against Queen’s Park, the bite and grit in the team has been upped, and has turned our home form around in the space of a week.

Early on against Dunfermline, we were down to 10 men, yet dominated the game for spells amd scored 3 great goals. On Saturday, St Johnstone came to Fir Park and with Ojamaa’s 2 goals and a brilliant Keith Lasley strike, we put the 3-0 drubbing at home to the Saints from earlier in the season well and truly to bed. Not only was it a great win, but it pushed us further away from Steve Lomas side in 3rd place.

The Ojamaa factor has seen a higher level of performance from the side and how much of a bearing his introduction to the team has had on his new team mates is open to interpretation. What can not be denied though is that the home fans now have something to cheer about, where earlier in the season they did not.

Estonian flags rippled in the East Stand in homage to Henrik. A” Stop! Ojamaa Time!” banner fluttered alongside a Stevie Hammell tribute and the ever present Craigan portrait. This shows how much he has endeared himself to the home faithful in such a short space of time. He just needs to keep it up for the next 2 and a half years…

The only other major bit of transfer chat was Jamie Murphy turning down a move to Blackpool after the clubs had agreed a fee. It was a bold move by Murph, as many others in his position, may have been all set for the seaside as soon as the opportunity arose. It says much for his character that he considered all of the elements of the deal, before deciding to remain at Fir Park, until the summer at least.

Speculation surrounding the deal ranges from it being a half million pound bid, to £250k, but on the same wage he is on at Fir Park. The fact is that, for himself, Jamie decided that the SPL at this moment is better for him than a move down south. How this effects his performance for the rest of the season, only time will tell. The fact the club had agreed a fee may play on his mind that we were willing to let him go. Perhaps, he sees himself that his overall game needs work and that wouldn’t be developed warming a bench by the Pleasure Beach. Regardless of his reasoning for staying, I’m sure he will be given a rapturous applause come Saturday against Greenock Morton.

This weekend’s Scottish Cup game is one for the nostalgists, as it brings back memories of the 1991 Quarter final which Motherwell eventually won on penalties. While there is perhaps a different kind of gulf between the sides some 22 years on, Morton will be right up for it, as I would hope will McCall’s men. Having made it all the way to Hampden last year, only to come up short in the final, the likes of Jennings, Randolph, Humphrey, Hammell, Lasley and Craigan especially, will be wanting to get back there more than ever. A win on Saturday will put us in with a great shout and will lift the team and fans in what has already been a decent season.

Third place is pretty much as good as it is going to get in the SPL these days, and with Ojamaa inspiring confidence, the rest of the side back to playing entertaining attacking football, and Darren Randolph only getting beat by wonder goals it seems, then I’m confident that we can eclipse the top 6 finish and Cup Final disappointment of last year.

But for now, I’m looking forward to seeing what Saturday brings. Hopefully it will involve a pyow pyow or a bang bang or two.

Up The Well!