Gavin keeps an eye on the 'Well Scene
'RELEGATION BATTLE'
While not exactly surprising that the press should bill our clash with Thistle as a decider for the drop, it was a bit worrying that a large strand of opinion among the fans after the game should back up the theory.Okay, it wasn't a great game, but the build-up probably didn't help, and our failure to get a point at Livi also added to the pressure on the players. The referee's reluctance to go one minute without blowing his whistle also completely spoiled the flow of the game.(Who was that guy and why can't the SFA see that these guys are ruining thousands of people's enjoyment.What with Rowbotham the previous week, you'd think the referee committee had it in for us.)Of course in the two weeks that have lapsed since you read this, things might be looking much worse, but I don't think our performance should distress us too much.We were reasonably comfortable at the back - a lot more so than against Livi - and kept possession well.The major problem we had was that we lacked ideas or a cutting edge going forward, but with Kemas and Adams out, I think that was inevitable.McDonald (another gem unearthed), Leitch and Lasley are probably too similar to all play at once, but of course, we had no choice.Adams will at least get forward and we could even have Faddy playing behind Kemas and Lehmann soon to give us a bit of penetration.The Boy Wonder does seem better running at teams rather than getting hacked from behind by a big centre-half.The display against Livi raised enough hopes the week before, so let's not let each disappointing show get us too despondent.There's enough youngsters in the team who maybe will let their heads go down, for us to join them.I'm now in the strange situation of being older than most of the Well team which has caused a few sleepless nights of soul-searching as I wonder where exactly all the years have gone. But the point is most of us have been through a lot more relegation battles than them, and we haven't lost that many.The support at the Livi game was one of the best I can remember, certainly for a good few years,so let's keep it up and we'll pull off the odd shock. Keep the faith.
DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS?
As if our financial situation wasn't bad enough, the SFA saw fit to fine us for our card-count last season.The fact that we'd sacked half the team didn't seem to matter.Strong and Ready attracted more bookings than Elvis in his prime.But what's all this utter nonsense about us being a dirty side?At our first two games we were faced with some of the most petty refereeing known to man.Livingston's foreign mercenaries go down quicker than an Audley Harrison opponent - Dougie Ramsay got booked for touching someone's shoulder!The bookings against Thistle were harsh too and all of a sudden John Lambie, yes John Lambie, is spreading stories in the press about us being a dirty side.Surely trying to influence referees who weren't at those games that your (expected) nearest rivals are a bunch of hackers deserves an SFA rap more than kicking the ground in frustration?Well, Lambie, in your own language, why don't you just F$&* off, you F%£"&g pigeon-fancying &*!!! halfwit.I'm sure you'll face dirtier teams in the First Division next year.
JAMES McFADDEN
Should he stay or should he go?The latest news I've had is that Preston have made a 'derisory' offer for Faddy.Now we know he must be the best young Scottish player for years if Craig Brown rates him.But surely we can afford to keep him for at least a year.We'd still need a hefty fee to part with him next summer.I know we'll have to sell him at some point, but what exactly is the point in going along to watch a team if your most exciting players are sold at the earliest opportunity?How many good young players then go on to languish in the reserves of some Premiership side immune to the financial problems surrounding the rest of football. There's got to be a balance between selling your stars and at least having a spell of being able to watch them.His moments of magic may just be the difference between us staying up and going down.Just how much could that be worth in the long run?I'm sure Faddy will benefit from first-team football with players he knows well.He is still a bit temperamental - booting the ball into the crowd 20 minutes into the first game of the season!Let's see more of such unpredictable behaviour before a big club tries to tie him down.
ROBERTO MARTINEZ
The Spanish flop is the latest of the sacked nine to get himself a new club.It seems there was a delay in him signing for Walsall because Motherwell were reluctant to release his registration while he was threatening legal action against the club.Okay, he seemed to try hard when he got a game, but he was clearly never going to fit into the SPL.Now he's got a new club for the new season.The player of the sacked nine I really felt sorry for was Mark Brown, who was clearly happy to be playing for his club, and was inexplicably dropped down to third choice by a manager who clearly took exception to something.Maybe he could have been offered a pay cut rather than just keeping two inferior keepers who were getting paid less, if they were.Of course, I felt sorry for guys like Strong at first, but he was one of the first to find a new deal. And judging by Stuart Elliott's move, he won't find himself out-of-pocket.Karl Ready seems to have disappeared unless someone can enlighten me, but I'm sure he's just gone underground.It was bound to happen at some stage.The biggest relief about Martinez getting himself a new club though had to be that he "impressed the manager during a trial period".Thank God Colin Lee never quite managed to secure the Fir Park hot-seat!
Gavin McCafferty
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