The concept of the split in the SPL is much criticised but for those otherwise headed for mid table mediocrity it offers a important barrier to overcome, and the chance to make some cash before the summer break.
Motherwell fought their first competitive game against Breidablik in the middle of July, a full month before the SPL’s opening fixture. Since then the roll call of matches reads Europa League 6, CIS Cup 3, Scottish Cup 4 and SPL 33 for a total of 46 so far. That’s a heavy toll and all the more intense given our relatively small squad.
Carswell kicks off
We got over the line with 44 points from the 33 games with an average of 1.33 points a game from 13 wins, 5 draws and 15 losses. There were 9 points up for grabs against each of our rivals and our take varied from 0 to 7. Rangers were our bogey, the only team from whom we failed to take a point. Celtic, Kilmarnock and Hibs donated 3 points each while with Hearts, Inverness, St Mirren and Hamilton we shared the spoils with 4 points each. That left rich pickings from St Johnstone (6) and Dundee United (6) but the cherry on the top is Aberdeen with a healthy take of 7 points.
The players managed to earn 44 points even with a change of management team in the middle of the season. They can be proud of their efforts and we should not hold back when trumpeting their success. Our new manager can now start to plan for next season. He'll soon have an idea of the playing budget and the usual negotiations can begin.
The SPL will now be able to plan the post-split calendar. Had the same teams finished in the top half as last season then a 19:19 balance of home and away games would have been possible. Hibs didn’t make it so the scheduler’s best intentions are scuppered. There was fury from Motherwell last season when the pattern for the final five fixtures was revealed – we had no home tie against either of the gig Glasgow teams.
In a perfect world we should have the following games ahead: Celtic (a), Rangers (h), Hearts (h), Dundee United (a) and Kilmarnock (h). Time will tell.
But before those matches there is the little matter of the Scottish Cup. A win next Saturday will see us in the final and a rare chance to add another line to our honours list.