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
No comments:
Post a Comment