Motherwell are off to Perth on Tuesday on a mission to halt the alarming downward slide.
The Steelman’s fall from grace has been quite spectacular. Until the start of September Stuart Kettlewell and his team were cresting the wave. They played with freedom and flair and the points rolled in. The players were obviously enjoying themselves.
September and October produced a decline that continued with Saturday’s loss at Rugby Park. The team has loss confidence and of late has resorted to the unsuccessful percentage play strategy of clearing the ball from deep in the hope that the forwards can win possession and threaten the opposition goal. It has not borne fruit.
No doubt the manager will shuffle the pack for the McDiarmid meeting but he may be constrained in his selection options as he made reference to “two broken noses and a fractured cheek bone” after the loss to Kilmarnock. He has work to do to stop the rot.
St Johnstone are four points adrift at the foot of the table but, hope springs eternal, they recorded a first league win of the season last midweek when they beat Kilmarnock. That was the first game since they sacked Steven MacLean. Alex Cleland was in charge for that triumph. There may be a new appointment before Tuesday’s kick off.
They have only five goals to their credit in their ten league games and they failed to score in seven of them. Motherwell fans will tremble at those statistics in the sure and certain knowledge that we’ll go there and give them a hand out.
Dare we hope for a 0-0?
Remember the last trip to Perth
Update: Craig Levein has been appointed St Johnstone manager.