Tekel Towers » Motherwell vs United

Tek · 11/12/2024 1:16 am

Motherwell have beaten us twice this season already.

What would be your XI and formation on Saturday to try and arrest that trend?

redford_must_score · 11/12/2024 11:42 am

Tek wrote:
Motherwell have beaten us twice this season already.

What would be your XI and formation on Saturday to try and arrest that trend?

Ferry suspended for this I believe.

Hard to read JG sometimes but I think he trusts Holt, rightly so and he will get the nod. Middleton is the other option at LWB but I think he might play him just further forward.

I was wanting Moult Dalby together but not sure that worked so I'd be starting like this with the option to add Louis off the bench.

Walton
Manny Gallacher Graham
Strain Stephenson Svelj Holt
Babunski central
Dalby Middleton

Conway11 · 11/12/2024 1:42 pm

Walton
Manny Gallagher Graham
Strain Stephenson Svelj Middleton
Babunski
Dalby Moult

Finn Seemann · 11/12/2024 3:27 pm

I'd play Holt and go to a back 4. Sevelj, Manny or Docherty to sit on Lennon.

Walton
Strain Gallagher Graham Holt
Manny/Docherty/Sevelj
Stevenson Babunski Middleton
Dalby Moult

Shakey Isles Arab · 11/12/2024 8:05 pm

redford_must_score wrote:
Hard to read JG sometimes but I think he trusts Holt, rightly so and he will get the nod. Middleton is the other option at LWB but I think he might play him just further forward.

I was wanting Moult Dalby together but not sure that worked so I'd be starting like this with the option to add Louis off the bench.

Walton
Manny Gallacher Graham
Strain Stephenson Svelj Holt
Babunski central
Dalby Middleton

This

United Arab Emarite · 12/12/2024 8:11 am

If I were manager I would ask Stephenson & Babunski what their best positions are and play them there. Same goes for Holt, Sevelj & Strain, in fact everyone apart from Walton really.
Players know best.

CCX2 2010 · 12/12/2024 2:54 pm

I hope he doesn't change it too much to replace Ferry. Middleton in a straight swap for me with Moult and Big Sam continuing up top.

Last Saturday was a very decent performance but just never got the breaks where it counts.

A draw wouldn't be a disaster but with that lot coming up, three points would be most welcome.

Arabdownsouth · 12/12/2024 7:20 pm

United Arab Emarite wrote:
If I were manager I would ask Stephenson & Babunski what their best positions are and play them there. Same goes for Holt, Sevelj & Strain, in fact everyone apart from Walton really.
Players know best.

And what if they want the same position?

Easy being a manager eh? 🤣

Shakey Isles Arab · 13/12/2024 12:30 am

Arabdownsouth wrote:
United Arab Emarite wrote:
If I were manager I would ask Stephenson & Babunski what their best positions are and play them there. Same goes for Holt, Sevelj & Strain, in fact everyone apart from Walton really.
Players know best.

And what if they want the same position?

Easy being a manager eh? 🤣

Agree with open door policy. Anybody should be able to go'n talk to gaffer about anything at any given time.

... but individual players do not know best.

As soon as any sign of favouritism is perceived you're gone.
Manager knows big picture, and can drive team in direction he wants. - Makes for a good squad of professionals able to slot in in various pasitions depending on shape/ injuries which can vary week to week not at whim of indivivual.

So yes players may think they know best for themselves, but manager knows what's best for team.

.... No mention you'd hope he's been a player himself, and hes the one down the road if it goes tits up.

- Happy wi Jim.

redford_must_score · 14/12/2024 5:18 pm

As Alan Hansen used to say, shocking defending.
Too many players not delivering today.
Babunski terrible in that disastrous first half, Gallagher had a shocker. Strain needs to do better for their second.
A lack of aggression all over the pitch until the game was gone which is not like us. Moult missed a sitter.
Fcucking bad day.

Last edited by redford_must_score (14/12/2024 5:19 pm)

CCX2 2010 · 14/12/2024 5:36 pm

As Redford says above too many had by far their worst games of the season.

Middleton clearly was exposed at LWB and we should have changed shape or subs earlier than what we did.

I say this after almost every game but we massively need to add to our options in the middle, weak as fuck. Babunski, booked after 2 minutes and gave the ball every time he got it, not good enough and never a captain.

At the back, Gallagher had his worst game and rightly hooked, he's been excellent this season but miles off it today.

JGTA

RogerTheAlien · 14/12/2024 6:24 pm

I think there’s a player in Dave but he’s centrality not a captain

Billy_Hainey · 14/12/2024 7:31 pm

Canna believe we score 3 awa fae hame and still get humped.

Mibbee fowk winna agree we me, but we shouldna be letting a team like Motherwell slip 4 past us.

They've put 8 past us in 3 gehms. Eh we've put 5 in against them, but not a jot to show for it.

Doesna bode well fir next Sunday. Dreaming of a Sh1te Christmas.

Tek · 15/12/2024 12:26 am

Just watched the Sportscene highlights.

Motherwell definitely our bogey team this season. Our defending very poor against them for the 3rd match in a row. We have defended well this season and being stoic at times (Ibrox recently a good example), but we just don't like a pacey player like Maswanhise running at us. It's our definite weakness.

As others have said Middleton at LWB didn't work at all (defensively), first two goals are down to him being weak in stopping balls in to the box.

Declan Gallagher getting a lot of criticism today (and rightly so), but our two young loan players Adegboyega and Stephenson looked naive today. Stephenson's second bad game at Fir Park and he was again lucky not to give away a reckless penalty when we weren't really in major trouble.

The only positives are - for the second game running at Fir Park, the Dalby~Moult partnership shows promise. Both on the scoresheet, both linked up well at times and both could have scored more. Our failings today weren't in the final third.

Agree with CCX about Babunski. He's technically very good but he isn't offering nearly enough at times in middfield. He's one of our senior players and is only playing in flashes and flatters to deceive too often. Last goal in early August. Need a lot more from him.

Not too despondent about today, more frustrated as we should be taking something from a game we score three in.

Need to drop the defeatist attitude about next week btw. It's not a 'free hit', i hate loser talk like that.

It's a game at home, that we should be going into trying to win.

Get big Ross Graham back in the team and get back to basics in defence. Midfield have to work hard as fuck and be up for the fight.

Slotbadger · 15/12/2024 7:38 am

So frustrating yesterday. Contrary to what their manager said after the game, they did mostly hoof the ball at Middleton, win the knock down and create from there. 4th goal good example. Middleton should have been off after 30 mins for Graham when Goodwin saw this playing out.

Worrying how much we missed Ferry, as it’s not wild to imagine getting a few decent offers for him in New Year.

Gallagher was really horrific. He made so many mistakes in that first half. Passing straight to them out of defence, positionally, losing out n headers. Stephenson also very poor. Maybe our best player this season, but yesterday nope.

Need to remember our first choice central midfield is out long term, and I don’t think babu ski would be playing there if those 2 were not injured. End of game was comical yesterday as we didn’t have any options in midfield. Ended up like a game of Fifa with 5 defenders, 6 forwards and no midfield.

Lastly, really like that stand at Motherwell. See the game unfolding brilliantly.

United Arab Emarite · 15/12/2024 8:17 am

I've only seen the highlights but if we defend like that next Sunday we could get another 9.
I'm wondering about Adegboyega, on-loan rookie centre halves maybe not a good idea.

SlatefordArab · 15/12/2024 9:03 am

Can’t believe how poor defensively we were yesterday. Gallagher and Holt poor IMO.

Middleton never a left back.

Their third goal though - the ref stops play for a Motherwell head knock in their half, meantime the ball has been pinged out to their right wing and Middleton has battled their boy for the ball and is in the middle of that battle when the ref stops the game. He then restarts the game by giving Motherwell the ball unchallenged in that attacking position.

BMT · 15/12/2024 9:31 am

Really missed Will yesterday but on a positive note we are creating chances and are only 1 of 4 teams with a positive goal difference.

RogerTheAlien · 15/12/2024 11:26 am

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but we should’ve just done a flat back 4 with holt at left back.

CCX2 2010 · 15/12/2024 12:17 pm

RogerTheAlien wrote:
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but we should’ve just done a flat back 4 with holt at left back.

Not so much hindsight Roger, it's was very clear from early doors that Motherwell were targeting Middleton. Should have changed it after 15/20 minutes.

Can't fault anyone yesterday for effort but all of the players and the coaching staff could and should have done better.

Massive 3 weeks coming up.

CCX2 2010 · 15/12/2024 12:21 pm

SlatefordArab wrote:
Can’t believe how poor defensively we were yesterday. Gallagher and Holt poor IMO.

Middleton never a left back.

Their third goal though - the ref stops play for a Motherwell head knock in their half, meantime the ball has been pinged out to their right wing and Middleton has battled their boy for the ball and is in the middle of that battle when the ref stops the game. He then restarts the game by giving Motherwell the ball unchallenged in that attacking position.

Watched it back and our defending for the third gaol would look out of place in a public park.

Weak, lacking concentration, free headers, no contact with the opposition, not even an attempt to stop the cross. It was everything we haven't been this season.

BMT · 15/12/2024 12:54 pm

CCX2 2010 wrote:
RogerTheAlien wrote:
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but we should’ve just done a flat back 4 with holt at left back.

Not so much hindsight Roger, it's was very clear from early doors that Motherwell were targeting Middleton. Should have changed it after 15/20 minutes.

Can't fault anyone yesterday for effort but all of the players and the coaching staff could and should have done better.

Massive 3 weeks coming up.

Agree with this as if we could see it happening then so could the management team.
Couldn’t fault Glenn for his attacking play but we must surely realise now that he can’t be a left back / wingback at this level.

MockChop · 15/12/2024 10:59 pm

Shocking defending for all 4. (The 4th should not have stood)

Ross Graham has sat on his arse for 3 games in a row now.
Louis Moult = just fucking celebrate eh