MOTHERWELL FC: A CORNER TURNED?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up The Well!

motherwell FC: the Season To Come...

MOTHERWELL FC: THE SEASON TO COME...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JANUARY.

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

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

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

FEBRUARY.

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

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

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

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

MARCH.

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

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

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

APRIL.

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

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

MAY.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up The Well!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Talent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 Team Top League, 12-14 Team Lower League

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up the Well!!!

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!!!