We may as well enjoy this for a week, despite the late defeat at Livingston, the team who have taken over the mantle of the most boring team in Scotland from St.Johnstone. If nothing else, this defeat in West Lothian will stop us believing our own press, as we previously did after the victory over Celtic.
Team Game
Despite our recent recovery from the depths of defeats at Partick Thistle etc., etc., I still believe there is one player under-performing as he has done all season, despite being feted as the answer to Scotland’s left-back position. Steven Hammell - despite having performed poorly all season still retains a starting position week in, week out. Having seen the excellent standard of young players coming through the ranks at Fir Park, I find it hard to believe that there is no-one who can at least challenge Stevie for his position – even the best players need some competition to keep them at their best.
A few weeks in the reserves may be just what he needs to freshen him up and push him on to greater efforts, as his passing, breaking forward and tackling back all seem to be
sub-standard compared to when he broke into the team as a regular after the departure of
Stevie McMillan to the highly successful Wigan. So come on Terry at least let the youngsters know they stand a chance of breaking through and challenging – keeping an
under-performing player in the team can’t be doing a great deal for their morale.
Mon Dieu!!!!!
What about the performances of Francois Dubourdeau since his recent breakthrough into the first team - we may have unearthed a diamond in this young guy. Escaping injury he should be first choice keeper until the end of the season – hopefully longer. His performances before the Rangers game had been excellent, but then his display in that game easily put in the shade anything seen by another keeper in Scotland this season. A lot of people, myself included, had strong reservations about his ability after his introduction to the first team against Celtic over a season ago. From the slight young boy who rarely held and nearly always punched, he has grown into an agile goalkeeper with every confidence in his own ability. Vive La France! (Much more of this poor French, I’ll be sounding like Del Boy).
Better Times Ahead
With new talent breaking through into the team regularly this season, further young players still trying, not to mention the players we are hoping re-gain their form things could be a lot worse for Motherwell FC. When you consider the year we have had – we look like surviving, coming out of administration on a sounder financial footing than we were when it first happened. We have shed our under-performing high earners to make way for a leaner, keener, hungrier and let us not forget younger group of players to take us forward.
We shall continue to make fools of the Glasgow Media machine who continue to write us off – they have not yet learned to keep their big mouths shut when they have nothing constructive to say – Happy New year to them, they’ll need it, they’re going to have to find someone else to slag off, write off etc., etc.
Happy New Year to the players and management – here’s hoping they take care to have the youngsters breaking through signed up on long contracts, so that when they do leave us it isn’t cheaply. But more than anyone else – Happy New Year to the fans - as we deserve a better new year in our football lives than the one that has just passed.
And that’s a fact!
Have a great Hogmanay and a Brilliant New Year
Tam