Geoff has a look at the '91 Cup Winners

Legends

The Cup Final team of '91 has gone down in Motherwell folklore and many would be tempted to say that all of the players involved have achieved legendary Motherwell status.Let's have a look at our team that great day and I'll give you my opinion on whether they are legends or not,you may feel free to differ in your opinion;

Ally Maxwell:Ally had spent years with Motherwell waiting for his breakthrough.One final mistake too many by Cammy Duncan in 88 / 89 and Ally was in there as first choice Number One.The Cup Final season was the pinnacle of Ally's career in terms of quality.He had an outstanding year pulling off many crucial saves.These alone were not enough to qualify as a legend but his performance in the Final when he played on though a horrendous injury to pull off a critical last-minute save was.LEGEND ?YES

Luc Nijholt:Sneaked into Motherwell's Isle of Man winning squad under a false name,and officially signed one month later,Luc made his debut in the fiery League encounter with Celtic.His robust tackling and determination to win endeared him to Motherwell supporters and earned him the nickname The Terminator.He only played three full seasons with the club but it felt like he was a fixture for more.LEGEND ?YES

Tom Boyd:Having broken into the team in 83 / 84 Tom soon became the youngest ever Premier League team captain.His early displays as a sweeper were outstanding.A leg break,and subsequent signings,meant Tom playing in unfamiliar midfield and left-back roles on his return.The arrival of Davie Cooper inspired Tom to become more adventurous from his full-back position.He would never play for the team after the Final and some feel he blotted his copybook forever when he ended up at Celtic.LEGEND ?YES

Craig Paterson:Craig was the darling of the Scottish press when he started out at Hibs.That usually only means one thing and the inevitable move to Rangers soon followed.Sadly for Craig The Gers were a poor outfit and he joined us in 86 / 87.He was a solid and reliable centre half and the Final was the last game of his Well career also.LEGEND ?NO

Chris McCart:Chris's breakthrough into the Motherwell team was often overshadowed by the attention shown to Tom Boyd.He also had to fight past established veterans Paterson and McAdam to try and get into the team.Chris would go on to become Motherwell captain and play almost 300 matches for us so it may surprise you that my opinion isLEGEND ?NO

Jim Griffin:By 1991 Jim Griffin was by no means a regular in the team.His Cup Final appearance was only his 48^th with the club and he played in 27 of our 46 matches that year.His contribution in the Final, setting up the first goal, was crucial.Sadly his career would be halted by injury having just crept past 100 games.LEGEND ?NO

Dougie Arnott:The bane of Terry Butcher's life.Big physical centre halves must have hated coming up against Dougie with his low centre of gravity allied with tremendous upper body strength.He could also finish as his two goals in the Semi Final,and 17 that season,showed.Dougie would play on till 97 / 98 and is still awaiting his testimonial from the club.LEGEND ?YES

Ian Angus:Signed in Cup season I think it's fair to say his arrival wasn't one that thrilled the fans. Angus made 20 starts that season but also crucially scored our third goal in the Final.LEGEND ?NO

Iain Ferguson:From his early days with Fir Park Boys Club Fergie had done the rounds before ‘ coming home '.He scored our only hat-trick in 90 / 91 against Dunfermline,and the first goal in the Final and stayed with us til 93 / 94.LEGEND ?NO

Phil O'Donnell:Uncle Phil burst onto the scene in Cup year playing most games from February and scoring his first 'Well goal in the Final. We got another three complete seasons before he left, returning recently with a reputation for being injury-prone.LEGEND ?YES

Davie Cooper:One of Scottish football's most gifted ever players and one who came to Fir Park in the supposed twilight of his career.With us he inspired the players around him,won a Cup winners medal and returned to the Scotland team.Scottish football legend ?Yes.Motherwell LEGEND ?YES

Stevie Kirk:Kirkie could equally frustrate and delight Motherwell supporters and some of his performances could divide opinion sharply.His scoring Cup run will never be forgotten nor will his other great moments with the club.LEGEND ?YES

Colin O'Neill:From his debut against Hamilton it was obvious that Psycho was the kind of tenacious midfielder every team craves.What a season he had,starting with the Peter Grant incident, through to his awesome semi final goal and the struggle against injury to make a brief Final appearance in his last ever 'Well game.LEGEND ?YES

Geoff Baby

Visit the GLF archive.  Hundreds of articles.