Motherwell FC: The Season So Far...

Now that the first round of games are done and dusted, it's time to look back at how the Mighty Well's season has panned out so far. Obviously, by only getting to a handful of games so far this season, I will be going on secondary information about some of the games and talking points of the 1st 3rd of the season, but as STV's official MFC blogger, that is allowed.

After the stunning end to the 2009/10 season, where we scraped in to Europe after sharing 18 goals with Hibs and Rangers in the last 2 games, we were left with a bit fi a dilemma. Albeit a dilemma we Motherwell fans have become accustomed to.

For about the 4th consecutive season, our star players moved on to pastures new. It's the nature of the beast that loan players need to leave at the end of their borrowed spell. We won a watch in December when Everton allowed us to retain Jutkiewicz and Ruddy, but there was no way we could hold on to them come the end of May.

Jutkiewicz was sent to Coventry and Ruddy left us and Everton for the Number 1 jersey at Norwich. After an impressive season, Jim O'Brien also left for Barnsley and Giles Coke for Sheffield Wednesday. Each has gone on to have a bit of success at their respective clubs with The Juke, Giles and Jimo getting amongst the goals and Ruddy impressing in the Championship.

These were the key players that Messrs Brown and Knox would have to replace if we were to challenge for being the "best of the rest". While Jim Gannon had left in bitter circumstances, there was no denying that he had an eye for a player. As well as the Everton loanees, the acquisition of Coke, Humphrey and Jennings were key in our success last season.

In Randolph and Blackman, the management have unearthed more gems. Blackman has 10 goals to his name after a shaky start to the season, and most of my mates who have watched him regularly have said that he doesn't even play that well. A touch of the Kris Boyd's about him possibly?

Randolph has been solid and the fact he is not a loan means that he could go on to be one of the better keepers at Fir Park in the last 20 years. Filling Ruddy's gloves was going to be a big task as he achieved cult status. However he was prone to some minor concentration lapses at ket times. Big Dolph hasn't shown any signs of that just yet. Long may it continue.

Chris Humphrey has been like a new signing this season. Compared to his performances last year, he is like a new man. he has overcome the issues in his personal life and is on the verge of a Scotland cap. Perhaps stifled by Jim O'Brien's form last season, Humphrey has contributed so much already to our goals scored tally this season, even managing to get on the score sheet himself.

Combined with the midfield dig of Jennings and Lasley and the ever improving Jamie Murphy, going forward, we are possibly at our best since McGhee's first season in charge, when McCormack, Clarkson and Porter were shooting us up the table.

Add to those attacking options, the likes of Sutton, the return to fitness of Alan Gow and the man, the myth, the legend that will be a fully fit Esteban Casagolda, and it shows we are not short of attacking prowess. The onky problem will be fitting them all in.

The defence has been fairly frugal so far this season, with only Rangers giving us a doing thus far. Reynolds and Craigan are having a good season, with relatively few mishaps, while Hammell and Saunders have done good turns. Saunders, despite being seen as the weak link in the defence, even managed a call up for the Scotland v Faroes match last week. Levein's picks have been surprising to say the least, but surely if Saunders merits a place, so does Reynolds at least.

So with that squad assessment in mind, I'll look to the league results. I know I haven't mentioned the Europa adventure, but I feel I've done the to a death at http://kjwellblog.blogspot.com before I started the STV one. (There's also my World Cup Blog kicking about there too...)

An unlucky opening day defeat at home to Hibs didn't quite live up to the 6-6 game, but 2-3 meant the fans weren't short changed on goals. A dubious handball in the lead up to one of the Hibees goals was the main talking point, and maybe set the scene for the refereeing issues that have arisen this season thus far.

Away to Kilmarnock, a Blackman tap gave us a 1-0 win, followed by a home defeat to Celtic after a Maloney swan dive in the box gave them a late penalty winner. Please stop me at any point if I start to sound a bit Neil Lennon-y by the way...

Blackman continued his good away form with a rocket against St Johnstone, added to by either Murphy, Sutton or a Rutkiewicz own goal. Between the Sunday Mail, Twitter and the BBC Live Text service they couldn't make up their mind. I was at work, so I couldn't tell til the highlights were up. Rutkiewicz was given it in the end.

Our home form was coming in to question, as we hadn't won at home since March. Bearing in mind the season finished for 3 months before it resumed, that stat is not as bad as it sounds. A 1-1 draw with McGhee's Aberdeen was a fair result, as it had been in the last few seasons. Murphy got back amongst the goals in this one, before giving way to Sutton and Blackman away to Hearts the following week.

This was the game where Humphrey began to grab the headlines as he created both and terrorised their left back all game. Our home hoodoo was put to be versus St Mirren, where Humphrey gave an early lead. As has been apparent this season, a dominant first half doesn't always come with the goals it deserves. After humping them 1-0, the Buddies got an equaliser, which meant Well left it late to get the win.

A ridiculous penalty given away for a push on Gow, saw Hateley make it 2-1, with Murphy adding a 3rd a couple of minutes later. Again, the Twitter feed for this was my only point of reference. It really is the modern day Teletext page 310.

The 4-1 defeat to Rangers was followed by 2 wins in a week over Dundee United, with the 2-1 league win being the better game, won bizarrely by 2 own goals. A late, late winner by Gow in the cup game also put us in to a CIS Cup semi against Rangers.

A shock home defeat to Accies was disappointing, as our competition for 3rd place all slipped up around us. It really would have cemented our run for 3rd early on. Alas, we didn't take our chance. Hateley's missed penalty made it harder to take, something that Twitter didn't mention...

2 good wins followed, where Nick Blackman decided to up his already impressive scoring rate. A defelcted lob form 30 yards along with Gow's close range goal helped us to a 2-1 win against Butcher's Thistle before a first half hat trick secured the points against a poor St Johnstone. John sutton added a fourth late on in what was incredibly, the first league home game I'd been to all season. Those Europa nights seem so far away now.

Another defeat to Hibs saw Blackman score his first penalty of the season and another net breaker against St Mirren salvaged a draw at St Mirren Park. The boy can't stop scoring and while it's keeping us in a healthy league position (4th at time of writing), it is going to make it harder for us to keep him come January.

As long as he keeps it up til the transfer window opens I'll be happy, starting with a brace on Sunday against the in form Jambos.

Now that I have secured a 9-5 job, I can get down to Fir Park more regularly, but like Scotland's top referees, I am bypassing this weekend's game. Not due to the integrity of my blog being questioned or the abuse I have received for giving the "big teams" a hard time in it, just a wee jaunt to Northern Ireland with the Missus.

If The Well remain in 4th position for the rest of the season, or can push on due to keeping Blackman and keeping everyone else fit, we are in for a cracking remainder of the season. starting December 4th, I'll be back being a regular at the Citadel of Scottish football, and for that, I can not wait.

Up The Well!!!

Motherwell FC: I've Found A New Team...But Don't Panic!

I have a confession to make. It's not something I'm proud of, and it still feels a bit wrong, but I feel i must let my readership know.

I have started supporting a Glasgow team.

Now, before you start calling me a glory hunter, a turncoat and a traitor, I must point out that it is neither of the Old Firm, or Partick. It's not even a junior team. Hell, it's not even football.

In the last month, I have been attending Braehead Clan hockey games on a Saturday night and I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm hooked. The pace, the tension, the free scoring, the occasional violence...what's not to like?

In no way will this effect my support of my beloved Motherwell and it sure won't make it's way in to my blog every week if there is nothing Claret and Amber to report. Nothing will replace Motherwell in my heart, so please do not question my loyalty to the team based on the above revelation.

The reason I mention it at all is to compare and contrast it with Motherwell FC, the SPL and Scottish football in general. In keeping with the purpose of this blog, to keep residents of the Motherwell area entertained with my tales of being a Well fan, I'm going to look at Braehead Clan as an alternative.

An alternative to football; an alternative to the usual Saturday entertainment;, an alternative sport to follow. Many Motherwell fans I know have "second teams", whether in the SPL, the Premiership, Serie A, whatever. Where's the harm in having a "second team" in a different sport?

First off, I'm not going to claim to be an ardent hockey fan. I still don't know all the rules and reasons for things that go on on the ice, but I'm learning. And that is half the appeal to me. It's something new to me, that I've felt the need to embrace. In reality, it's my fiancee's fault.

As a Northern Irelander, her family, as I have frequently mentioned in these blogs are Rangers fans. However, they also are season ticket holders for the Belfast Giants, an Elite Hockey League (EHL) Ice Hockey team. With crowds of around 8000 a week at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, they have been around for 11 years. the appeal in Belfast is that it is a sport everyone can enjoy.

There's no Protestant/Catholic divide with the Giants and that is why they are so popular. In a country and indeed city, so divided over blue and green matters, the appeal of a team, a sport and entertainment which doesn't play on anything like that has served a purpose to unite the Northern Irish community in a fairly new and non secluding way.

Over the last couple of years, I've had the opportunity to take in a few Belfast games, and I admit it peaked my interest in the game. However, not living in Belfast meant that I couldn't really get in to it as much as i would've liked. Late last year, it was announced that Glasgow would have a new franchise entering the EHL and in September, Braehead Clan took to the ice.

Due to Braehead Arena having booked in Disney on Ice for the first month of the season, the Clan now have a backlog of home games to play, which I have been frequenting and enjoying for the last month. The first game I went to, I was a bit passive for the 1st period, but seeing the Clan beat Dundee Stars 5-1 had me gripped. Not quite in the same way that getting beat 1-0 at home off Aberdeen 16 years ago had me addicted, but it was enough to make me want to go back.

What appeals to me about The Clan are the similarities to Motherwell that they have. As an overall entity, they are a team that could struggle to get a decent crowd due to other sporting teams in the Glasgow area. Because football is such big business in Glasgow and Scotland, branching out to experience something new and not as popular could keep the fans away, much like the exodus of Lanarkshire people to Glasgow for their football fix, instead of staying local.

Living in Glasgow city centre, I have seen very few promotional events or posters et al advertising The Clan, which I feel is a marketing issue they need to resolve. If they want to make any money, as a new franchise, they need to be doing all they can to swell crowds. Granted, the crowds have risen each week I've been, but the potential for it to be higher is definitely there.

The crowd that goes are a mix of proper hockey fans and young families, as well as quite a few one timers, who may be interested in coming back. Much the same as we have at Fir Park, we have our die hards, our youngsters and our other friends who don't necessarily go week in week out. I think that the amount of young kids at both can only be a good thing as it is encouraging an interest in something exciting from a young age.

As a brand new team, Braehead are doing not too bad in the EHL against much more established squads. the majority of teams in the EHL are English, with Braehead, Dundee and Edinburgh, as well as Belfast making up the rest. In a ten team league, The Clan currently sit 6th, with a 10 point gap between them and 7th placed Hull.

Like any newly assembled squad, they are still getting a feel for each other, much like MFC have done for the last few seasons with loan departures making way for new signings. Much like Alan Gow and Esteban Casagolda are still bedding in to our team form being out for a while, many of the Clan squad are either coming back from injury or still getting back to fitness from the lay offs from whatever league they have come from.

The number of games they have played may also be taking a toll on them as they have been playing 2 or 3 times a week since the beginning of October, with another 2 this weekend. But they will get experience and grow, much like the consistently inconsistent Well teams of the past have done. They have lost 5 of their last 6 games by narrow margins which is a bit of a concern though.

At a time when discipline in the SPL is being monitored on both referees and players, Braehead's own needs to be questioned. In my opinion they are too disciplined, which from what I have seen is not a positive. Over the last few seasons, players like Jamie Murphy and David Clarkson have been told to bulk up in order to put themselves about a bit. That's exactly what the Clan forwards need to be doing. Lhey just aren't tough enough.

In a game famed for it's fights and occasional violence, Clan coach Bruce Richardson had his head put through a plexiglass boarding which shattered all over the fans and ice. If that had happened to nay other team in the EHL or even NHL, there would have been a mass brawl due to the brutality of how it happened. There wasn't even a push after it.

Richardson, did however get sin binned for punching the Nottingham goalie square in the moosh later on though.

The main point I want to get across from this blog is that as an alternative to the Old Firm, Braehead Clan are there to be built up and is an opportunity for sports fans to experience something different on a Saturday. It's cheaper, less predictable, exciting, attacking minded and doesn't have moany managers or alleged bias against or for the bigger teams, it does have it's crap refs though.

All of these traits can be put upon Motherwell FC this season. We are cheaper to watch. You never know how good or bad we are going to play. We are an attacking entity with the most exciting attacking line in the country in Murphy, Blackman and Humphrey ripping it up. We also have a manager who is savvy enough to move the home dugout to prevent opposition teams harassing linesmen.

Support your local team people of Motherwell and Lanarkshire. And if you get the chance, go see The Clan, they are your local hockey team after all...

Wednesday night's game v St Johnstone was brilliant to be at after being so immersed in the Hockey lately. From seeing my nephew lead the teams out, to witnessing Blackman's hat trick, Humphrey doing Grainger time and time again and Casagolda looking like he may have the potential many put upon him when he signed, I felt like I was back in my comfort zone.

Although I have found a new team to follow in a different sport, nothing will tear me away from a freezing cold Wednesday night spent in the East Stand cheering on the Well.

To paraphrase a dirty joke i know, "What's the difference between an egg and being

a Motherwell fan?"

"You can't beat being a Well fan".

Up The Well!!!

Motherwell FC: What A Reffing Joke

Besides the guy who comes to pick up the "grey bin" from the ladies toilets at work, I can not think of a worse job than being a football referee.

They say that those who can, do and that that those who can not, teach. In the middle is where I see the mindset of anyone who becomes a referee. Not quite good enough or committed enough to the sport where they can competently play it, and also not respected enough to pass down what they know about the sport. Find the middle ground. Become a ref, a position that should warrant respect above that of the footballer, while making sure the game runs smoothly.

If only.

Over the last few weeks, both in the SPL and the Premiership, refereeing displays have come under intense scrutiny. The difference being, the English teams just get on with it. The most recent ref talking point in England was Nani's goal against Spurs last week where he felt he was fouled (which he wasn't) and grabbed the ball on the deck. The whole Spurs team and majority of the Manchester United team assumed it was a free kick to Spurs (which it wasn't).

Gomes picks up the ball and rolls it out to take the free kick. Nani looks at the ref, who signals it is in open play, and then passes the ball in to the net. Ref gives goal, Spurs go mental. Gomes confronts the linesman who is visibly seen mouthing "I know", as the Tottenham goalie yells and remonstrates it's handball. Ref comes over, discusses with linesman, and still gives the goal.

After the game, Harry Redknapp questions the referees integrity and gets off without beign fined for it. He made his opinions clear and left it at that. Mr Clattenburg accepted he had made a mistake and the matter was settled. No letters written to the FA to complain about it and I'm sure it won't drag on for almost a month.

I know I haven't mentioned Motherwell FC up to this point but I will in a few paragraphs time. I have been fairly sedate in my blogs thus far with regards to my feelings towards other teams and people associated with those teams. That is going to change a little in this blog. I need to state as well that I have no agenda going in to this, I am basing it on pure hard facts and only a little opinion.

Celtic Football Club. Get a grip. Seriously.

On the way to The Well's brutally dull 1-0 cup win over Dundee United last week, i had the rare opportunity to listen to the Real Radio phone in. I know the concept of the show is to encourage debate and stir up banter etc, but the whole show was all about Celtic being unfairly treated by referees. 2 hours of utter dross.

The main talking point was Majstorovic's "foul" on Broadfoot for the penalty and Samaras' knee butt on McGregor. Now, right there, you have a contradictory stand point. The zoomers phoning in to Ewen and Roughy were more than happy to slate the ref for giving the penalty, but were happy to turn a blind eye to Samaras being allowed to stay on the park.

As much as Samaras is hated by his own fans, they still defended his attempted knee on McGregor and his shocking tackle on Naismith. To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised Naismith stayed on his feet long enough for Samaras to make contact, given his penchant for diving this season.

Neil Lennon needs to stop hiding the faults within his team behind other things going on in the games. Facts are fact, they were second best in the Old Firm game and deserved to be beat. nothing to do with the ref. Without the penalty, they still lost 2-1. It's the team underperforming, the ref just happened to have an off day too.

This refereeing animosity stemmed from the overturned penalty decision during Celtic's game against Dundee United a week earlier. In my humble blogging opinion, that wasn't a penalty, Pernis gets the ball first and Hooper makes a meal of it, so it was right to be overturned.

For Hooper to come out this week and lambast the ref, saying he can't be trusted and that as Celtic are one of the world's biggest clubs, that's why they get all the decisions against them is farcical. For starters, if Celtic are one of the biggest teams in the world, why is Gary Hooper playing or them? Did I miss him knocking back offers from Real Madrid and AC Milan to sign for Celtic?

Maybe in the fantasy land he is living in he did. "All the big teams get the decisions against them", he said. That's why Nani's goal stood is it? That's why Manchester United have conceded a single digit figure of penalties at home since the Premiership began? That's why Drogba scores about 10 offside goals a season eh? That's why Stephen Craigan's header that Ross Forbes poked in last January against Rangers was chalked off eh?

(Note: I am not saying Rangers are a bigger team than Celtic here, I am just using it as a segue to talk about the Well at last.)

Every team is a victim of bad refereeing. Look at our game at the weekend there against Accies. Fair enough, it's a game we were expected to win and as a team, we failed to break down a defensive Hamilton side. We got a penalty, that Hately missed. The boy who fouled Blackman should have been sent off by the letter of the law.

He prevented a goal scoring opportunity and was last man. Off? No.

Dougie Imrie then handled the ball on the line. Penalty? No.

2 decisions that could have changed the game in MFC's favour, both not given. Now it could be argued that going down to 10 men would have benefited Accies more as we can't seem to beat teams when they go a man down, but we didn't get the result through not taking chances and playing to the best of our abilitites.

Did Craig Brown write to the SFA demanding an explanation of why these decisions weren't given? Did Motherwell fans start harassing the ref with death threats? Did the media talk it up like it was the most pivotal moment of the season for either team?

No. Why? Because it happens.

Football, the sport we love, is governed, regulated and overseen by humans. Therefore, like everything else, human error occurs from time to time. As much as we as fans can gripe and moan about unfair decisions and poor refereeing, we love it. It gives us stuff to talk about, even at the poorest of games. We can use it as an excuse if we want, but the rational folks amongst us know that their team doesn't get beat by the ref, but by the better team.

There are some exceptions to that rule, notably when teams steal a win or adopt the now fashionable "score a goal and park the bus" tactics, another aspect of modern football which ruins the game, particularly when it doesn't work, eh Craig Levein?

I could see the point in Celtic being aggrieved if refereeing decisions against them were costing players their livelyhoods. For example, Danny Murphy's comments regarding managers sending players out to hurt one another, like De Jong and Karl Henry have been accused of, have been dealt with well by the refs down south.

I remember a few years ago, Paul Lambert put in a horrific challenge on young David Cowan at Fir Park, breaking his leg in 2 places. Lambert didn't even get booked. It took Cowan almost a year and a half to recover from that and as far as I am aware is playing part time in the Second Division. Lambert pretty much ruined the boy's career and was not disciplined for it.

You can't help but think that had it been the other way round, Cowan would have gone off or been vilified by the press for it. Which brings me on to my final point.

Walter Smith complained recently that Old Firm players are under much more scrutiny for off the ball incidents because they are on TV every week. The media coverage of both teams means that everything the players do on the park is picked up and can be analysed, whereas Kilmarnock and St Mirren players for example don't get caught out as much.

Walter. Get a grip. The best way for your players not to get caught kicking out or diving or spitting on people or whatever, is for them not to do it in the first place. You can't get caught doing something you don't do.

And stop bringing up Kris Boyd's disallowed goal against us at Fir Park last year. He was miles offside!

Sorry for the lack of Well stuff, but needed a topical rant. Normal service will be resumed next week.

Up The Well!!!

Motherwell FC: First Impressions

Over the last few weeks I have been on the jobhunt, attending various interviews and tailoring my CV to help my applications. Being able to make a decent first impression can go a long way to ensuring success.

The same can be said of footballers, particularly new signings. When teams sign new players who come with some pedigree, expectations are naturally high. conversely, more obscure signings don't have as much hype around them, so any success is lauded.

Football fans are a fickle bunch though, and as quick as they can love a player, they can turn when things aren't going so well. For as long as I can remember, this has been the case down Fir Park way.

The earliest "hype" signing I remember the Well making was John Hendry. Signed in the summer of 1995, Alex McLeish brought one of Tottenham Hotspur's brightest young talents to Lanarkshire. A striker who had set the Spurs reserve team alight, he was all set to be our star man.

He wasn't. I don't know what he was, but he wasn't that. I think he scored against St Johnstone once and got injured. To put him in perspective, Rangers had just signed Gazza and Bergkamp had joined Arsenal on the same day. Those signings for those teams were legendary. Hendry, not so much.

In the 90s and early 2000s, we did have a knack for signing prolific strikers who failed to deliver. Anyone remember Stephen Halliday? Signed from Carlisle, just didn't cut in at all at Motherwell. Even Alex "Toastie" Burns, upon his return to the club was mince. Having started at Well as a youngster, where he battled for a slot between Coyne, Coyle and Arnott, he left and ended up at Partick.

He rattled in a shedload for Thistle in the First Division until he re-signed at Fir Park, where he jsut could not find his shooting boots at all. After his exploits in Maryhill, we expected so much, but Burns delivered so little.

Even players who were given the tag of "most expensive signings" have mainly turned out to be a bit gash. Shaun McSkimming, for example, while having a few memorable games (well 2 that i remember clearly, MyPa 47 and Partick in the Cup), was a donkey. A lazy midfielder who often let the game go by him, somehow remains one of our all time highest fees. Shocking.

Around that same time, bizarre things were going on. 15 years on, I still can't fathom out how we paid money AND Stevie Kirk for Eddie May. That's right, we gave Falkirk money and a Legend for Eddie May. A man so useless, he played in every position for us. Badly. Really badly.

I'm going to be a bit controversial here and say that a cult Well hero was also a bit of a dud after promising so much. Even meeting him in Asda as a youngster can't escape me thinking that Eliphas Shivute, the Namibian George Weah, was a bit guff.

Sure, he was pacey and tricky, but he just didn't deliver. Looked good in the luminous kit though.

The Kampman/Davies era and John Boyle's endeavours to make us the "Third Force" also brought a lot of expectation from the signings made. While players like Spencer, Brannan, Goram, Kemble and Goodman gained fan favouritism straight away, others didn't fare as well.

Kai Nyssonen scored on his debut on telly against Dundee United in a game that cost only £1 to get in to. Instant hit. Eventual failure. Others signed at this time that were expected to be amazing were Rob Matthei and Jan Michels, who were ok for a bit but injuries and poor form saw them fall out of favour. Michel Doesburg in contrast was a solid right back.

Franz Resch, Mario Doerner. Apparently amazing signings in a close season where I think they were the only signings never even made it to the first team. Out of all of these names though, one name is synonymous with being hyped to the hilt for no reaosn and was a complete and utter fail.

Holm Kraska.

A German defender, bought during the Kampman era again, came with so much praise, it was as if we had found our own Beckenbauer. £40,000 he cost, which for all the plaudits he garnered was a snip. So much so that we even signed him with an injury, guaranteeing his services.

He never played a game.

Of course, first impressions aren't reserved for new signings. Spotting talent coming up from the youth teams is always a pleasure. McFadden, Pearson and Hammell all had "it" from an early age and since the threat of administration, the focus has been on the youngsters coming through.

Granted not all of them will have the talent on first look, but potential is something to be nurtured. As mentioned in other blogs, certain homegrown players who have made instant impacts have petered out or not realised their potential at Motherwell, while others have flourished.

Jamie Murphy this season is playing the best football of his life, after a couple of seasons getting to grips with the SPL. David Clarkson was exactly the same. Clarkie had a whirlwind first season as a pro before hitting a confidence slump. After Scott McDonald (another signing who had an instant impact as a Well hero) left for Celtic, the onus was on him to be our main striker.

It took until McGhee's first season for him to start hitting the peaks he had in his first run in the team and spurred on by the death of his uncle, Phil O'Donnell, he became an important player, hitting double figures 2 seasons in a row.

The fans and forums were constantly on his back during his slump, but Clarkie can now be held in great regard as another alumni of the Well youth movement. if Murphy continues in that vein this season, then he too will join that club.

In the past when prolific scorers failed to deliver when we signed them, the last few years has been the opposite. Chris Porter was signed from Oldham by McGhee as a player lacking fitness and goals. A season and a half later, he had scored almost 30 goals and signed for Derby. Lukasz Jutkiewicz had been sent on loan to about 6 clubs over 2 seasons by Everton, scoring once in the process. A season at Well and he's got confidence back and is firing them in for Coventry in the Championship.

The SPL is definitely seen as a developing ground for lower league English talent, with so many players leaving the Scottish game to play in the Championship and Premiership. The first impressions these teams get of these players are based on the performances up here and how well they do on their debuts. It's a shop window which benefits both parties by giving players a chance to shine for clubs before making them a bit of money by selling on or league positions.

Without Jutkiewicz and Ruddy last season, we'd have been stumped. Replacing them was going to be hard but Randolph and Blackman have been just as effective thus far. The impression they have already had on the Well fans is that they will be vital to our season.

As will Alan Gow. The consensus of the fans for Gow is that he is "not match fit" just yet. It's a fair point to make, but I think he will be pivotal for us if we can keep him in January. He's had some poor games, but his control and running are great. He needs to be a little less greedy but that will come. When he signed, I had high hopes for him and although he had glass legs, once he is fit, he'll do us a turn. His late winner against Dundee United will kick start his season.

If not, I'll write a "How wrong was I?" blog when he leaves in January.

Up The Wel!!!

Motherwell FC: First Impressions

Over the last few weeks I have been on the jobhunt, attending various interviews and tailoring my CV to help my applications. Being able to make a decent first impression can go a long way to ensuring success.

The same can be said of footballers, particularly new signings. When teams sign new players who come with some pedigree, expectations are naturally high. conversely, more obscure signings don't have as much hype around them, so any success is lauded.

Football fans are a fickle bunch though, and as quick as they can love a player, they can turn when things aren't going so well. For as long as I can remember, this has been the case down Fir Park way.

The earliest "hype" signing I remember the Well making was John Hendry. Signed in the summer of 1995, Alex McLeish brought one of Tottenham Hotspur's brightest young talents to Lanarkshire. A striker who had set the Spurs reserve team alight, he was all set to be our star man.

He wasn't. I don't know what he was, but he wasn't that. I think he scored against St Johnstone once and got injured. To put him in perspective, Rangers had just signed Gazza and Bergkamp had joined Arsenal on the same day. Those signings for those teams were legendary. Hendry, not so much.

In the 90s and early 2000s, we did have a knack for signing prolific strikers who failed to deliver. Anyone remember Stephen Halliday? Signed from Carlisle, just didn't cut in at all at Motherwell. Even Alex "Toastie" Burns, upon his return to the club was mince. Having started at Well as a youngster, where he battled for a slot between Coyne, Coyle and Arnott, he left and ended up at Partick.

He rattled in a shedload for Thistle in the First Division until he re-signed at Fir Park, where he jsut could not find his shooting boots at all. After his exploits in Maryhill, we expected so much, but Burns delivered so little.

Even players who were given the tag of "most expensive signings" have mainly turned out to be a bit gash. Shaun McSkimming, for example, while having a few memorable games (well 2 that i remember clearly, MyPa 47 and Partick in the Cup), was a donkey. A lazy midfielder who often let the game go by him, somehow remains one of our all time highest fees. Shocking.

Around that same time, bizarre things were going on. 15 years on, I still can't fathom out how we paid money AND Stevie Kirk for Eddie May. That's right, we gave Falkirk money and a Legend for Eddie May. A man so useless, he played in every position for us. Badly. Really badly.

I'm going to be a bit controversial here and say that a cult Well hero was also a bit of a dud after promising so much. Even meeting him in Asda as a youngster can't escape me thinking that Eliphas Shivute, the Namibian George Weah, was a bit guff.

Sure, he was pacey and tricky, but he just didn't deliver. Looked good in the luminous kit though.

The Kampman/Davies era and John Boyle's endeavours to make us the "Third Force" also brought a lot of expectation from the signings made. While players like Spencer, Brannan, Goram, Kemble and Goodman gained fan favouritism straight away, others didn't fare as well.

Kai Nyssonen scored on his debut on telly against Dundee United in a game that cost only £1 to get in to. Instant hit. Eventual failure. Others signed at this time that were expected to be amazing were Rob Matthei and Jan Michels, who were ok for a bit but injuries and poor form saw them fall out of favour. Michel Doesburg in contrast was a solid right back.

Franz Resch, Mario Doerner. Apparently amazing signings in a close season where I think they were the only signings never even made it to the first team. Out of all of these names though, one name is synonymous with being hyped to the hilt for no reaosn and was a complete and utter fail.

Holm Kraska.

A German defender, bought during the Kampman era again, came with so much praise, it was as if we had found our own Beckenbauer. £40,000 he cost, which for all the plaudits he garnered was a snip. So much so that we even signed him with an injury, guaranteeing his services.

He never played a game.

Of course, first impressions aren't reserved for new signings. Spotting talent coming up from the youth teams is always a pleasure. McFadden, Pearson and Hammell all had "it" from an early age and since the threat of administration, the focus has been on the youngsters coming through.

Granted not all of them will have the talent on first look, but potential is something to be nurtured. As mentioned in other blogs, certain homegrown players who have made instant impacts have petered out or not realised their potential at Motherwell, while others have flourished.

Jamie Murphy this season is playing the best football of his life, after a couple of seasons getting to grips with the SPL. David Clarkson was exactly the same. Clarkie had a whirlwind first season as a pro before hitting a confidence slump. After Scott McDonald (another signing who had an instant impact as a Well hero) left for Celtic, the onus was on him to be our main striker.

It took until McGhee's first season for him to start hitting the peaks he had in his first run in the team and spurred on by the death of his uncle, Phil O'Donnell, he became an important player, hitting double figures 2 seasons in a row.

The fans and forums were constantly on his back during his slump, but Clarkie can now be held in great regard as another alumni of the Well youth movement. if Murphy continues in that vein this season, then he too will join that club.

In the past when prolific scorers failed to deliver when we signed them, the last few years has been the opposite. Chris Porter was signed from Oldham by McGhee as a player lacking fitness and goals. A season and a half later, he had scored almost 30 goals and signed for Derby. Lukasz Jutkiewicz had been sent on loan to about 6 clubs over 2 seasons by Everton, scoring once in the process. A season at Well and he's got confidence back and is firing them in for Coventry in the Championship.

The SPL is definitely seen as a developing ground for lower league English talent, with so many players leaving the Scottish game to play in the Championship and Premiership. The first impressions these teams get of these players are based on the performances up here and how well they do on their debuts. It's a shop window which benefits both parties by giving players a chance to shine for clubs before making them a bit of money by selling on or league positions.

Without Jutkiewicz and Ruddy last season, we'd have been stumped. Replacing them was going to be hard but Randolph and Blackman have been just as effective thus far. The impression they have already had on the Well fans is that they will be vital to our season.

As will Alan Gow. The consensus of the fans for Gow is that he is "not match fit" just yet. It's a fair point to make, but I think he will be pivotal for us if we can keep him in January. He's had some poor games, but his control and running are great. He needs to be a little less greedy but that will come. When he signed, I had high hopes for him and although he had glass legs, once he is fit, he'll do us a turn. His late winner against Dundee United will kick start his season.

If not, I'll write a "How wrong was I?" blog when he leaves in January.

Up The Wel!!!

Motherwell FC: Gatecrashing The Govan

I'd sat in the away end at a Motherwell game previously. I was about 11 and friends of the family were down from Aberdeen for the weekend. Conveniently, The Well were at home to The Dons. So as not to be sussed out, I decided for the first time ever not to wear anything Claret and Amber.

I wouldn't imagine the Aberdeen fans would have turned on an 11 year old in the wrong stand, but better safe than sorry. Instead, I wore my blue Motherwell goalie top under a jacket zipped up as high as it would go. The game finished 2-2, with Alex Burns scoring a double and I remember having to go to the toilet after we'd equalised both times, just to celebrate.

14 years on and the same fate befell me. On the weekend of my engagement party, where my fiance's family made the trek over from Northern Ireland, it was fitting that we had Rangers at Ibrox. It was even more fitting that Robert, my soon to be Father In Law, has a good friend who managed to get us tickets to the game. In the Govan Stand.

In the weeks leading up to it, the impending game served as banter between us on Facebook. As the game approached, Motherwell were ripping it up away from home, while Rangers were not performing to their best, but still keeping up their 100% record. The odds were obviously stacked in Rangers favour, as they are most of the time at home, but our away form meant we could potentially cause an upset.

As Elaine and myself greeted her folks off the bus, after the hugs and handshakes, the first subject of conversation was that "Motherwell could have a good chance today." This was based on Rangers being without the likes of McGregor, Jelavic, McCulloch etc plus the players involved in the Scotland games would be tired. Motherwell in contrast had pretty much a full strength team to pick from, with only Craigan having midweek excursions.

We discussed Blackman's away form, Randolph being a solid replacement for John Ruddy and Chris Humphrey's pace as we took the Subway to Ibrox. I told Robert how my nephew had bumped in to Humphrey in ASDA last week and had told the wee man how he was going "to do Papac". That such confidence exists in the squad made me smile. As supporters, we see our players as heroes and it's good that they have the belief in themselves that we hope they have.

Upon arrival at Ibrox, we met Tom who got our tickets and his wife and son, Sandra and Jed. I'd met them once before, but now had a better chance to impress them in front of Robert. I had to reel myself in a couple of times when talking about The Well and I think I managed to do so quite well. Of course there were the obligatory digs about watching a real team play blah blah blah but I just kept joking about how I'd be more concerned about my behaviour if Rangers scored than if Motherwell did.

As we took our seats, Motherwell were warming up to our right. We had a cracking view as I identified the Well players for Robert's benefit, basically pointing out that the alleged danger men were the ones with the fancy boots (Humphrey, Hateley, Murphy) and that the slowest man on the park was John Sutton. We also discussed how Stewart Kerr could probably still be playing after retiring at such a young age. Robert in turn told of the many times he and Tom had been to Ibrox in their youth, recalling games, goals and scorers in a similar vein to the way I have in my blogs. That's what makes football such a universal thing, the ability to remember the smallest of details based on an emotional connection to it.

As both teams lined up before kick off, I heard the band of Motherwell fans down to my right singing before being drowned out by the 40 odd thousand home fans. Very little singing in the tier I was in though. Maybe as a ringer in the ranks, I was expecting there to be more vigour in their support, getting behind their team and cheering them on. After all, as Champions, you would expect the supporters to cheer them on accordingly.

But no. It wasn't silent exactly, but it wasn't rousing by any means. Maybe my East Stand upbringing has spoiled me for atmosphere and noisy support.

The first half was a strange experience. After almost blowing my cover when Naismith went down under a challenge form Reynolds to no free kick, the boy on the other side of me had something to say. "Nah, he was looking for it, he needs to play the whistle" I retorted. From then on, every decision for or against Rangers illicited a comment from my new found friend, which I would respond to before clarifying to Robert that I was keeping the boy going.

It was a fairly even first 45 minutes, with only Randolph saving from Whittaker to have me worried about. Most Rangers attacks ended with Lafferty or Weiss being crowded out at the edge of our box or the wrong ball being played by Edu. In contrast, our attacking play wasn't too shaky. Humphrey was doing well but not "doing" Papac on the right, while Hammell and Murphy got some decent balls in from the left. Blackman was looking lively, however his "straight-erm challenges" on Whittaker and Weir were irking the boy next to me.

Cue more agreed criticism of the Ranger's players along the lines of "that's poor,Lafferty", "Naismith is showboating too much, he's not playing Spain now" and "how did Edu lose that race to Sutton?". I was doing well.

With 3 minutes to the break, Murphy beat Whittaker to the byeline and lobbed a cross to the 6 yard box. Blackman beat Weir to the ball and headed in off the underside of the bar. Bar a few grumbles, there was a hush all around me. The Well fans could be heard in full voice as Blackman slid on his knees at the corner flag before being mobbed by his team mates.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't remain quiet any longer. I leaned back in my seat before rocking forward. As i opened my mouth, I could feel Robert tense up with concern that I may out myself. with one deep breath i let out a roar.

"THAT IS SHOCKING DEFENDING RANGERS! RUBBISH, UTTER RUBBISH!"

As i composed myself, I nudged Robert. "That's the kind of acting the BBC got from me on Garrow's Law" I smugly said. The half time whistle blew and we filtered down to the wee nook where we had to get Tom and co.

I managed to not be to buoyant as I was well aware that there was still a second half to come. we discussed the weak links in Rangers performance and noted Blackman's contribution. Apparently it is a tradition of theirs to do the quiz in the programme at half time. In confident mood, I helped my team to a victory in that. Not only had I gatecrashed the Govan, but my team were 1-0 up and I'd just bested 8 other Rangers fans in a quiz primarily about Rangers v Motherwell games. What could go wrong?

As this is a blog and not a match report, I don't have to be impartial, so there will be no mention of the events of the second half. The first half had been horrible but brilliant at the same time, but give me Fir Park any day. The next time the teams meet is on Boxing Day at Fir Park and I'm going to miss the game as I'll be in Northern Ireland with the in-laws again. This home game will technically be another away one for me, but we'll take the points on that occasion.

Up The Well!!!

Motherwell FC: Away Days

MOTHERWELL FC: AWAY DAYS

As much as I love setting foot in Fir Park of a Saturday, (or more recently a Wednesday or Thursday) there’s something different about going to away games. Maybe it’s because everyone knows it’s harder to beat a team on their own patch as you are giving up “home advantage”. It serves as a motivation for a team to be able to get the bragging rights over a team by overturning them on their own turf.

This gives rise to the underdog spirit amongst those teams towards the wrong end of the table, where a win away from home against a much more fancied team can provide a catalyst for their season and maybe see them not featuring last on Sportscene.

An away win can be made all the more sweeter, if it involves a hefty amount of travel. An arduous trek to Inverness, and a comfortable win, means that no matter how bad the weather gets on the way back, the trip has been worth it. Even travelling a short distance can reap great rewards for an away win.

Derby games against the likes of Accies and probably more importantly Airdrie (on the rare occasion those happen), helps us to keep the rivalries going. Hearing Well fans sing about being the Pride of Lanarkshire, echoes loudest away from home, and rings in the ears of the home fans who wanted to lay claim to that title.

Every team has a bogey team away from home and for years, to me at least, trips to Tynecastle served to make that point. Hearts are normally a hard team to beat at home, for any team, but it seemed like The Mighty Well had gone an age without winning in Gorgie.

I’ve only been there once and we were on the end of a 2-0 defeat that saw Kevin Christie sent off. I’d had the hope that because it was my first away game of the season that it’d be rewarded with a victory. It wasn’t.

I had to wait 8 years before seeing us beat Hearts away from Fir Park and even then it wasn’t at Tynecastle. It was in the CIS Semi at Easter Road I spoke of a few weeks back. To be honest, I would happily relive that match every time against Hearts. Go 2 goals up, let them back in and then crush them with the last kick of the ball.

In recent years, Tynecastle has been a happy hunting ground, with our most recent win coming a few weeks ago, where Blackman and Sutton gave us a comfortable victory. This result was the catalyst for this blog.

This season we have performed exceptionally well away from home. Even in the Europa games, the boys created memories for all those who travelled. Even harking back to Nancy, a narrow away defeat was probably the away highlight of many Well fans supporting lives.

At this point I will state that I’ve never been to an away European game, didn’t even mange Llanelli, as I was moonlighting as a Georgian peasant for the BBC.

In the SPL, we have a cracking away record, with Randolph and the defence standing resolute. Wins at Kilmarnock, St Johnstone and Hearts, have seen Chris Humphrey come on to a game and Nick Blackman getting amongst the goals. His beauty against St Johnstone was criminally overlooked in Chick Young’s goal of the month compilation on the BBC. Maybe that was due to us turning over his beloved Buddies at Fir Park the previous Saturday.

Hopefully this run will continue and see us stretch the unbeaten away run, akin to the streaks I spoke of in last weeks blog. Unfortunately on Saturday this will be tested at an away ground where we haven’t been victorious for 13 years.

As Rangers’ fans arrived at Ibrox on May Day 1997, they were expecting to party. The script was written that a lowly Motherwell would be fodder for Rangers, as they equalled Celtic’s 9 In A Row league winning streak.

My previous visit to Ibrox had seen us win 2-0 and had me singing my 9 year old heart out all the way home. Too much shouting had seen me end up with the flu, meaning I missed out on the trip 2 years later.

Playing Fifa on the Mega Drive and listening to Super ScoreBoard, I jumped about my bedroom in equal parts amazement and frustration, at the fact we had done it again but I wasn’t there to see it. Going back in to school after the long weekend, I was beaming ear to ear at my rangers’ loving friends. They weren’t too pleased.

It didn’t take long for them to get that win and they duly did so away at Tannadice a week later, while Well escaped the dreaded relegation play offs with a draw v Partick. Since then, we have had a fair few skelpings and a few draws and narrow defeats, but haven’t registered a win in Govan.

Last year’s 2 games at Ibrox mustered up 13 goals between them, a 6-1 mauling and then the epic 3-3 draw just days after the 6-6 Hibs game. Hopefully the defence will hold up a lot better this weekend than last season and maybe we will get the rub of the green.

In recent years, we have been unable to take points off some of the worst Gers’ teams in recent history and while they have their 100% record intact, key players are missing. McGregor is serving his one match suspension after being brilliant for Scotland versus Spain. This could be the biggest loss for Rangers as he has been in great form, although Alexander is no novice.

With Jelavic missing too, the dependence will fall on Miller and Lafferty to conjour something up against Craigan and Reynolds and the rest of our back line. Hopefully the occasion will not get to the players and see our attacking players play as they have in recent weeks.

Murphy was in decent form for the Scotland Under 21s this past week, Humphrey’s improvements have been well documented in the press and Blackman will want to continue his away form. If we can stay tight at the back and expose them on the break, we should give them a real game.

It would be even more special as I will be in attendance for the first time in 15 years. Next week’s blog will write itself based on Saturday’s experience and will be a lot more interesting. Not just because it will be the first blog I’ll have written for the site as a reflection on a match, but because i will be going with my soon to be Father-In-Law.

Sat in the Rangers end.

Up The Well!!!!!

Follow me on Twitter : krisjack85